Farhan Akhtar has always been open about his personal and professional challenges. In a recent interview with Faye D’Souza, the actor-director reflected on the emotional turmoil he experienced following his parents’ divorce and the impact it had on his relationship with his mother. Farhan candidly shared a particularly difficult moment from his youth, admitting that he felt like he had let his mother down when she discovered his drinking habits.
Discussing the struggles his mother, Honey Irani, faced as a single parent raising him and his sister Zoya, Farhan said, “She was a single mother, taking care of Zoya and me. She was working. So, the last thing I think she needed at that time was one of her kids just being like that. I was drinking and doing a lot of other things like that. At that moment when I saw the effect of that on her, and when it came to a head with her, she was just like, ‘Listen, I have tried my best with you, but, I can’t. Maybe you go and live with your dad for a bit.’ I felt like I failed her as a son. That was the first time I felt horrible in the pit of my stomach like she doesn’t deserve this.”
Farhan went on to explain that this painful realization became a turning point in his life, motivating him to make significant changes and start working towards a better future, “Not like I was treating her badly, but I was adding to her stress, which she didn’t need at that time. That horrible feeling motivated me to go out and start working,” he added.
Farhan also opened up about how his childhood, spent with divorced parents, influenced his decision to end his first marriage with Adhuna Bhabani. When asked if his childhood made it difficult to navigate his own divorce, Farhan reflected on the emotional complexities involved. He explained that having lived through his parents’ divorce, he was acutely aware of the potential impact his own separation could have on his children.
He shared, “It was difficult. A certain aspect of it was of course that I had been through having divorced parents when I was a kid. I know what it felt like and there was a huge part of me that was like I cannot do this to my own kids. I felt that it came to a place that if Adhuna and myself spoke to them openly and honestly, and explain to them why we are taking this kind of step, that it doesnt have anything to do with them. It’s not because of them, it’s not because of anything they did, they said, or because they are here.”
He added, “This is something between two grown up people, who as friends decided that this is something that they want to do. That’s the best we could do, but it’s something that I am going to have to live with for the rest of my life. It’s never going to entire go away thinking about ‘Did they deserve this?’. It’s going to keep coming up. That’s something I guess I’ll just have to live with. The fact that it had happened to me as a kid played a huge role in how I feel about it now”.
On the professional front, Farhan is currently preparing for his directorial return with ‘Don 3,’ set to release in 2025. This highly anticipated film will see Ranveer Singh take on the iconic role, continuing the legacy of the ‘Don’ franchise, which Farhan successfully rebooted in 2006. As he navigates both his personal and professional life, Farhan Akhtar remains a figure of resilience and reflection, drawing from his past to shape his present and future.
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