Industry paid a price for being high profile, says Akhtar
Not one to mince words, Javed Akhtar has been vocal about many issues, including the vilification of the entertainment industry. “It paid a price for being high profile. Film industry se logon ka strange relation hai; they love, hate, admire, envy. What happened was an unjustified and extreme attack. Chalo, yeh bhi hona tha. Today, the industry is back on its feet. Things keep moving on,” says the veteran writer-poet.
With many great talents making the industry what it is, Akhtar finds the allegation of nepotism absurd, as “you can give a chance to your kid but you can’t make them a star”. “Sure, a star kid gets a break more easily but that won’t mean anything if they don’t have talent. It is the audiences who decide who to love, make a star,” he says.
As the chairman of Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), Akhtar worked towards helping musicians and technicians in financial crisis, last year.
And while most of 2020 was spent in lockdown, he reveals this year will be hectic for him. “I am working on three scripts and, for the first time in my life, writing a short film. I also intend to do some work on OTT… and later, a celebration of 100 years of (lyricist) Sahir Ludhianvi is being planned,” he shares.
The veteran writer also plans to get the Covid-19 vaccine soon. “It isn’t enough to think rationally but one should act rationally. Don’t be rash. Read and enquire about the vaccine that’s most trustworthy and has got good results and go for it,” he concludes.
What happened was an extreme and unjustified attack... Today, the industry is back on its feet. JAVED AKHTAR, Lyricist-writer