Happy Birthday Javed Akhtar: How the legendary lyricist and writer’s career and tweets are always in news

Lyricist Javed Akhtar needs no introduction as his career speaks volumes about his talent. Mr Akhtar was born on January 17, 1945, in Gwalior, Central India Agency.

He gained recognition as a screenplay writer with Salim Khan. The duo, famous as Salim-Javed, wrote memorable screenplays for some remarkable films.
Javed Akhtar has been awarded the ‘Avadh Samman’ for his immense contribution to Hindi cinema.

The legendary lyricist was previously married to actor Honey Irani with whom he has two children - Farhan and Zoya Akhtar.

In 1970s, he used to study music at poet, writer Kaifi Azmi’s house. Mr Akhtar fell in love with his daughter, actor Shabana Azmi while pursuing his studies.
When Kaifi Azmi learnt about their bond, he was reluctant initially as Javed Akhtar was already married. After Mr Akhtar divorced Honey Irani, Kaifi Azmi agreed to get his daughter married to the screenwriter.

Besides writing screenplays, Javed has also written a lot of evergreen lyrics for many films including ‘Silsila’, ‘Duniya’, ‘Saagar’ and many other movies.
He has bagged the Best lyricist award for films like ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘Rock On’ and ‘Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India’.

Javed Akhtar is known for his strong and well-informed opinions. He has written several poems against communalism, social injustice, and women's rights.
Here’s a quick look at the times when Mr Akhtar unapologetically took a stand against the system.

When Taliban took over Afghanistan, it was a devastating news for everyone worldwide. Taking to Twitter, Javed Akhtar also strongly condemned Taliban's blatant oppression of Afghani women and urged every citizen and country to take stance against this awful act.

When the Tanishq Ad sparked controversy for its portrayal of an inter-faith marriage and was accused of encouraging 'Love-Jihad'. Mr Akhtar tweeted about how women in our society are seen as property instead of independent individuals with rights.

Following the horrifying Hathras gang rape case in 2020, protests broke out in the country with politicians and activists voicing their anger over the incident. Javed Akhtar too criticised the UP Police who cremated the victim's body in the dead of the night without permission and presence of the family. He also questioned their motive and support behind this grim act.

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