Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi have been married for more than 40 years now. The couple tied the knot in 1984. They continue to serve couple goals even now and Akhtar has now revealed the way to measure the strength of a marriage. According to veteran lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar, the answer lies not in grand gestures or solemn vows but in something far more unexpected and amusing. Speaking at a recent Performing Arts Festival, Javed left the audience in stitches with his witty take on marriage’s ultimate litmus test. He said, “Shadi mein kitni strength ya stability hai ise malum karne ke liye interior decoration karwa lijiye ghar mein. Wo pata chal jayega ki ye shadi chalne waali hai ye nahi. Agar ek shadi ne interior decoration jhel liya to fir wo chalegi. (To determine the strength and stability of a marriage, get your home’s interior decoration done. This will determine whether the marriage will last or not. If a marriage overcomes the interior decoration, then it will work.)” He elaborated with his trademark humour, explaining how disagreements inevitably crop up during something as simple as designing a home. “Na uska koi tarazu hai, na uska koi scale hai, na koi barometer hai, na thermometer hai, apko ye maalum hi nahi ho sakta hai ki ye maiz gold theek hai ya chaukor sahi hai. Ye carpet jo hai wo blue acha hai ya red theek hai, ye parda halka yellow hona chahiye ya gehra yellow. Koi bhi chiz par do rai hoti hai aur koi tarkeeb nahi pata lagaane ki kaunsa sahi hai. Apna apna point of view hai. Aur is agni pareeksha se agar apki shaadi nikal jaati hai to aap sada suhagan hai. (It has no scale, no barometer, no thermometer; you cannot even know whether this table is gold or square. Should this carpet be blue or red? Should these curtains be pale yellow or deep yellow? There’s often disagreement about everything, and there’s no way to figure out which is right. Everyone has their own point of view. And if your marriage survives this ordeal, you’ll be happily married forever.)”
