At 81, Javed Akhtar remains one of the most influential voices in Indian cinema, known not just for his craft but for his willingness to question the direction films are taking. Few writers have shaped
Hindi cinema the way he has, both through screenplay writing and lyrics that carried social, political and emotional weight. On January 17, marking his 81st birthday, Akhtar spoke candidly to Rediff about contemporary cinema, society and why he stepped away from writing screenplays for years. Javed Akhtar’s screenwriting legacy is inseparable from his partnership with Salim Khan. As the iconic Salim-Javed duo, they defined an era with films like Sholay, Deewaar, Zanjeer and Trishul. Their stories reflected social unrest, moral conflict and the frustration of a generation, making screenwriting central to mainstream cinema. Speaking about the present-day industry, Javed Akhtar expressed concern over what he sees as a deeper societal issue. Reflecting on the kind of stories being told today, he said, “Somewhere our society’s collective morality is lost. There’s a kind of moral confusion in our society which reflects in our films.” He went on to point out how filmmakers often avoid engaging with real issues. “Filmmakers are hiding behind romance, ghost stories, murder mysteries and sex. No film is looking at social issues.”
According to him, this avoidance is not new. Films that tried to address purpose and responsibility struggled to find audiences. “Swades and Lakshya were made. They flopped. We suffer from a lack of history and sanskar.”
The ace screenwriter and lyricist then spoke about how the failure of Lakshya, which he wrote, deeply affected his creative choices. “When Lakshya which I wrote, flopped, I felt the time wasn’t right for me to write screenplays right now.” Questioning how meaningful cinema can survive without audience backing. “How can better socially relevant films be made if they don’t get the audiences’ support?”
Despite the frustration, Javed Akhtar made it clear that he has not given up. “I intend to return to screenplay writing this year.”
Back in 2024, in a chat with We Are Yuvaa, the lyricist had spoken of Animal, not just about the content of the film itself but also for what its success, he thought, said about the audience. “I have not seen Animal. People told me about it, and I read in the news that he asks her to lick his shoe. She bends down, but thank god they cut it right there.”
