Veteran lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar has always been open about his struggles with alcohol addiction. In a recent interview with Mid Day, he recalled the time when he drank 18 bottles of beer in one sitting. 

“I got allergic to whiskey. Then, I thought that I must have only beer. However, I used to drink 18 bottles of beer in only one sitting. Fir mujhe laga ki yaar yeh kya pet phoola raha hun main apna (Why am I increasing my belly fat with beer)? So, I quit it and started drinking rum,” he told the publication.

The lyricist-screenwriter also revealed that he didn’t look for a company while drinking beer. 

“I didn’t even need any company. Koi hai toh achi baat hai, nahi toh main akele pee lunga (It’s great if someone is around or I used to drink alone),” he elaborated.

Javed Akhtar had opened up about his addiction in public during a 2012 episode of Satyameva Jayate. “I started drinking at a very young age of 19. When I came to Bombay after completing my graduation I started drinking with friends and later it became a habit. Earlier I didn’t have enough money, but then after my success money flow was also taken care of. Then came a time when I would drink one bottle a day,” he said.

Earlier, Shabana Azmi also talked about how she dealt with Javed Akhtar’s drinking habit. 

Shabana Azmi opened up about how husband Javed Akhtar quit his “excessive” drinking on Arbaaz Khan’s talk show The Invincibles Series Season 2. Shabana recalled, “He knew that if I go on like this, I won’t live for long and I won’t be able to do my work creatively… We were in a flat in London. He was stinking of alcohol and I said ‘Oh my god, this is going to be one of those trips. Very quietly he told me ‘Make me some breakfast’. He had breakfast and after that he told me, ‘I am not going to drink anymore’.”

Revisiting the days, Shabana Azmi said that she was stunned by his words. “I didn’t say anything. I just said ‘Means?’ He said ‘I am not going to drink anymore’. He had never said this before and from that day, he has not touched (alcohol).” Shabana added, “It is impossible for me to have that kind of willpower he has.” She also called his willpower “incredible.”