Denzel Washington plays the conniving, ruthless, and enigmatic arms dealer and gladiator wrangler Macrinus in the highly anticipated film Gladiator II—a role he seemed to have relished playing. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor was asked whether he had a blast playing Macrinus. “Everybody keeps saying that. They keep saying that,” he replied.  

“I’m having too good a time. Is that what you’re telling me?’” Washington added with a chuckle. 

No matter what the narrative, he is glad to have pranced upon the opportunity of being part of the Gladiator franchise. Speaking to Empire, he admitted that saying yes to the role was a no-brainer. 

“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in,” he said. When asked what made him so invested in the film, without missing a beat, he named the director Ridley Scott. “. “He’s just one of the best. He’s a grandmaster, and they fashioned a wonderful script,” the Training Day actor said. 

Screenwriter Javed Akhtar has been married to actress Shabana Azmi for over 40 years. In a recent interview, their close friend Annu Kapoor revealed that the couple got married at midnight when the screenwriter was drunk. Although Akhtar wasn’t initially ready to commit to a second marriage, Kapoor convinced him and made the necessary arrangements. 

Javed Akhtar was previously married to Honey Irani and they had two children. However, their marriage developed cracks due to multiple reasons and they eventually separated. Subsequently, the screenwriter fell in love with Shabana but was not ready to commit. In a recent interview with ANI, their close friend Annu Kapoor recounted how he orchestrated their midnight wedding.

He recalled that one night in 1984, they were sitting together after getting drunk at midnight. Kapoor mentioned that he asked Shabana why they aren’t getting married. But she was hesitant because Javed Akhtar wasn’t ready to commit. 

He said, “I said to her, ‘Bibi, just go ahead with it; decide once and for all.’ Javed was absolutely drunk, and Shabana was hesitant, saying, ‘How can I decide? He isn’t ready to make any kind of decision’.”

Since they were not ready to make the final decision, Annu discussed it with Javed and managed to convince him to marry. Immediately, Kapoor took his car and went to a mosque in Bandra to meet with a maulvi for the ceremony. They also invited Azmi’s mother and other friends, such as Boney Kapoor. After the wedding, they held a gathering and enjoyed it until 4 a.m. 

In a recent documentary series Angry Young Man, the writer admitted that he regrets his actions towards his first wife, Honey. He mentioned that he considers himself 60% responsible for the end of their marriage. However, he also feels that things wouldn’t have gone wrong if he had been as thoughtful then as he is today. Even his son, Farhan Akhtar revealed that he was initially angry and felt betrayed by his father but later understood the situation better.

Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani have two kids, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. Shabana shares a cordial bond with the kids and even Honey Irani.