Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has recalled the difficult days of her husband and celebrated lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar. She revealed how he battled extreme hardship before making a name for himself in the film industry.

Remembering the period when Javed was struggling to find a foothold in Mumbai, Shabana said he faced days when he had nowhere to sleep and barely had anything to eat. She recalled that Javed slept on footpaths and went without food for three days, while the only clothes he had were the "shreds" on his body.