Farhan Akhtar Discusses Divorce Guilt, Shibani Akhtar Praises His Daughters For Smooth Family Transition

Bollywood actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has spoken candidly about the emotional impact of his divorce in a recent podcast.

Farhan Akhtar has two daughters, Shakya and Akira, from his first marriage.

Source : Instagram/@faroutakhtar

New Delhi: Actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has recently talked about how his daughters Shakya and Akira have been affected emotionally by his divorce from ex-wife Adhuna Bhabani. Farhan discussed his regret over his kids, whom he views as "collateral damage" from his divorce.

On a recent episode of Rhea Chakraborty's podcast, Chapter 2, Farhan Akhtar said, "I feel tremendously guilty towards them when Adhuna and I got divorced because it had nothing to do with them. So they are the kind of like collateral damage in some emotional way."

Farhan confessed that His children had a hard time accepting their parents' divorce at first since they thought their bond was "solid and perfect" before it "got fractured." 

Shibani Akhtar On Farhan Akhtar’s Family

Shibani Akhtar, Farhan's current wife, also added some complexity to the family relations by expressing her appreciation for the support she has gotten from his children and parents. Shibani said she never feels out of place in the "super-evolved and liberal" Akhtar home. "They have been raised to be super thinkers," she said of Shakya and Akira, describing how their maturity has helped the mixed family communicate more effectively.

She added, “I'm very lucky and I'm grateful to be in an environment where I can have candid conversations with his kids and with other family members.”

"Huge credit to both their parents. Both their mother and father raised them to be open-minded, kind, understanding, and aware of the world around them. So, they're not your average young adult and teenager. I think having that kind of knowledge and being raised a certain way just made it an easier Journey for me," Shibani concluded. 

Farhan and Adhuna's 17-year marriage ended in 2017. He started dating VJ Shibani Dandekar in 2018, and in 2022, they were married in front of their loved ones.