Javed Akhtar is a renowned Indian poet, lyricist, and screenwriter, known for his significant contributions to Indian cinema and literature. His father, Jan Nisar Akhtar, was a famous Urdu poet, and his mother, Safia Akhtar, was a singer and writer.
Growing up in such an environment, he was naturally inclined towards poetry and literature. His career in Bollywood started in the late 1960s. He initially worked as a screenwriter, often collaborating with Salim Khan to form the famous duo “Salim-Javed.”
Together, they penned some of the most iconic and successful films in Indian cinema. After parting ways with Salim Khan in the early 1980s, Javed Akhtar transitioned to writing lyrics for Bollywood songs.
His poetic brilliance shone through in his lyrics and he swifty became one of the most sought-after lyricists in the industry. Meanwhile, the veteran recently expressed his views on the upcoming US presidential elections via microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
He humorously stated, “I am a proud Indian citizen and will remain so until my last breath, but I have one thing in common with Joe Biden: both of us have exactly the same chance of becoming the next president of the USA.”
One of the trolls accused Akhtar’s family of betraying India during the partition. He wrote, “Your father was instumental in making Pakistan in order to have a nation just for Muslims, then in the guise of progressive writer he chose to remain in India. You are a son of Gaddar (traitor) who divided our nation on d lines of religion. Now u say any thing but this is the truth.”
Akhtar replied, “It is difficult to decide whether you are totally ignorant or a complete idiot . From 1857 my family has been involved with freedom movement n has gone to jails and Kala paani when most probably your baap dadas (fathers and grandfathers) were licking the boots of Angrez sarkar (British government).”