When Shabana Azmi spoke against women apologising for their success

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi once opened up about a societal expectation that often makes successful women feel the need to apologise for their achievements, recalling how her husband, writer and poet Javed Akhtar, helped her recognise the pattern in her own life.

Shabana discussed the subject during her appearance on Simi Garewal’s popular chat show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal in 2000, where she was accompanied by Javed Akhtar.

Reflecting on her own experience of balancing professional success with family responsibilities, Shabana recalled the advice Javed had given her.

“Stop apologizing for being successful. Stop feeling guilty about being successful,” she recalled him telling her.

Shabana said Javed subsequently pointed out several instances in which she was trying to compensate for her professional success by taking on additional responsibilities at home.

According to the actress, he observed that women who become successful in their own right can sometimes feel compelled to reassure their families that their achievements have not changed their roles as mothers, wives, daughters or sisters.

She recalled being surprised when Javed pointed out that she too had fallen into that pattern.

“I was amazed that I was falling prey to that as well,” Shabana said.

The actress and Javed Akhtar got married in 1984. Akhtar was previously married to screenwriter Honey Irani, with whom he has two children, filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar.

Shabana and Javed have remained one of Bollywood’s prominent creative couples, with both having established successful careers in the Hindi film industry.

Their marriage completed 41 years in December 2025, while Shabana’s reflections from the 2000 interview continue to resonate around conversations about women, professional success and expectations within families.