Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an
Indian political activist, poet, lyricist and screenwriter. He is originally
from the Gwalior area. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1999), Padma
Bhushan (2007), the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as five National Film Awards.
In the early part of his career, he was a screenplay writer, creating films
such as Deewar, Zanjeer and Sholay. Later, he left screenplay-writing and
became a lyricist and social-political activist . He also remained a member of
Rajya Sabha. In 2020, he received the Richard Dawkins Award for his
contribution to secularism, free thinking, for critical thinking, holding
religious dogma up to scrutiny, advancing human progress and humanist values.
Javed Akhtar was chosen as a recipient for the Richard Dawkins Award for being "the
bright light for reason, freethought, and atheism in a dark time".
Early life
Javed Akhtar was born in 1945 in Gwalior.
His father Jan Nisar Akhtar was a Bollywood film songwriter and Urdu poet. His
grandfather Muztar Khairabadi was a poet as was his grandfather's elder
brother, Bismil Khairabadi, while his great great grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq
Khairabadi, was a scholar of Islamic studies and theology and played an
important role in the First Independence Movement of India in 1857. Javed
Akhtar's original name was Jadoo, taken from a line in a poem written by his
father: "Lamha, lamha kisi jadoo ka fasana hoga". He was given the
official name of Javed since it was the closest to the word jadoo. He spent
most of his childhood and was schooled in Lucknow. He graduated from Saifiya
College in Bhopal.
Akhtar was greatly inspired by Pakistani
author Ibn-e-Safi's Urdu novels, which he grew up reading as a child. Akhtar
was particularly influenced by the Jasoosi Dunya and Imran series of detective
novels, such as The House of Fear (1955). He was influenced by their fast
action, tight plots, economies of expression, fascinating characters with
catchy memorable names, and speaking styles. Two of the earliest films he
remembered watching both starred Dilip Kumar: Shaheed Latif's Arzoo (1950) and
Mehboob Khan's Aan (1952). Other films that influenced him as a child include
Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zameen (1953), Satyen Bose's Jagriti (1954), Shree 420
(1955) directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Munimji (1955)
directed by Subodh Mukherjee and written by Nasir Hussain, and Mehboob Khan's
Mother India (1957).
Career
Main article: Salim-Javed 1971–1982
Initially, in the 1970s, there was
generally no concept of having the same writer for the screenplay, story and
dialogue, nor were the writers given any credits in the titles. Rajesh Khanna
is credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to
become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi. Javed
Akhtar stated in an interview that one day, he went to Salimsaab and said that
Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the
payment for his bungalow, Aashirwad. But the film was a remake and the script
of the original was far from being satisfactory. "He told us that if we
could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and
credit."
Their first big success was the script
for Andaz, followed by Adhikar (1971), Haathi Mere Saathi and Seeta Aur Geeta
(1972). They also had hits with Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Zanjeer (1973), Haath
Ki Safai (1974), Deewaar (1975), Sholay (1975), Chacha Bhatija (1977), Don
(1978), Trishul (1978), Dostana (1980), Kranti (1981), Zamana (1985) and Mr.
India (1987). They have worked together in 24 films including two Kannada films
– Premada Kanike and Raja Nanna Raja. Of the 24 films they wrote, 20 were hits.
The scripts they wrote, but which were not successful at box office include
Aakhri Dao (1975), Immaan Dharam (1977), Kaala Patthar (1979) and Shaan (1980).
Though they split in 1982, due to ego issues, some of the scripts they wrote
were made into hit films later, such as Zamana and Mr. India. Salim-Javed, many
a time described as "the most successful scriptwriters of all-time",
are also noted to be the first scriptwriters in Indian cinema to achieve star
status.
1982–present
Akhtar was nominated to the Parliament
upper house Rajya Sabha on 16 November 2009.
Personal life
"that I would like to make very
clear at the very outset. Don't get carried away by my name – Javed. I am not
revealing a secret, I am saying something that I have said many times, in
writing o I love Altaf Hussan And obviously I don't believe in spirituality of
some kind."
—Akhtar talking about his religious
beliefs.
Akhtar was raised an atheist. He has
brought up his children Farhan and Zoya Akhtar as atheists.
Akhtar was married to Honey Irani, with
whom he had two children, Farhan Akhtar, a film actor, producer, director and
Zoya Akhtar, a film writer, director and producer. The father-and-son duo have
worked together in films such as Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Rock On!! and Zindagi
Na Milegi Dobara with Zoya. Farhan was married to Adhuna Akhtar, a hair
stylist.
Javed married Shabana Azmi, the daughter
of Urdu poet, Kaifi Azmi and later divorced Irani. In February 2019, Akhtar
canceled his visit to attend an event in Karachi organized by the Karachi Arts
Council due to the Pulwama attack.
Awards and nominations
Javed was awarded the civilian honour of
Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1999, followed by the Padma Bhushan in
2007. In 2013, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu, India's second
highest literary honour, for his poetry collection Lava. In 2019, he was
conferred with an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Letters) by the Jamia Hamdard
University. In 2020 he was awarded the Richard Dawkins Award for being a
"powerful force for secularism, reason, and human rights, challenging
superstition and intolerance through his work in poetry, screenwriting, and
political activism".
Sl.
No. |
Year |
Award |
Category |
Outcome |
Work |
1. |
1984 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Story |
Nominated |
Betaab |
2. |
1985 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Story |
Nominated |
Mashaal |
3. |
1986 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Story |
Nominated |
Arjun |
4. |
1989 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Nominated |
"Ek Do
Teen" from Tezaab |
5. |
1990 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Dialogue |
Won |
Main Azaad
Hoon |
6. |
1996 |
National Film Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
Saaz |
7. |
1997 |
National Film Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
Border |
8. |
1998 |
National Film Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
Godmother |
9. |
2000 |
National Film Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
Refugee |
10. |
2001 |
National Film Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
Lagaan |
11. |
1995 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
"Ek
Ladki Ko Dekha" from 1942: A Love Story |
12. |
1997 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
"Ghar Se Nikalte" from Papa Kehte Hai |
13. |
1998 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
"Sandese Aate Hai" from Border |
14. |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Nominated |
"Chand Taare" from Yes Boss |
|
15. |
1999 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Nominated |
"Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam"
from Duplicate |
16. |
2001 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
"Panchchi Nadiyaan" from Refugee |
17. |
2002 |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Won |
"Radha
Kaise Naa Jale" from Lagaan |
18. |
Filmfare Awards |
Best Lyrics |
Nominated |
"Mitwa" from Lagaan |
|
19. |
2011 |
Mirchi Music Awards
|
Album of The Year |
Nominated |
Zindagi Na
Milegi Dobara |
20. |
Lyricist of The Year |
Won |
"Khwabon Ke Parindey" from Zindagi Na Milegi
Dobara |
||
21. |
Nominated |
"Senorita" from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara |
|||
22. |
2012 |
Mirchi Music Awards |
Lyricist of The Year |
Won |
"Jee
Le Zara" from Talaash |
|
2014 |
Mirchi Music Awards |
Lifetime Achievement Award |
Won |
- |
|
2015 |
Mirchi Music Awards |
Album of The Year |
Nominated |
Dil
Dhadakne Do |
|
Lyricist of The Year |
Nominated |
"Phir Bhi Yeh Zindagi" from Dil Dhadakne Do |
Works
Filmography
As screenwriter
Teamed as Salim-Javed
Sl.
No. |
Year |
Film |
Language |
Director |
Cast |
Notes |
1. |
1971 |
Andaz |
Urdu |
Ramesh Sippy |
Rajesh
Khanna, Hema Malini, Shammi Kapoor, Simi Garewal |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
2. |
1971 |
Adhikar |
Urdu |
S.M. Sagar |
Ashok
Kumar, Nanda, Deb Mukherjee |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
3. |
1971 |
Haathi Mere Saathi |
Urdu |
M. A. Thirumugham |
Rajesh
Khanna, Tanuja |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
4. |
1972 |
Seeta Aur Geeta |
Urdu |
Ramesh Sippy |
Hema
Malini, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
5. |
1973 |
Yaadon Ki Baaraat |
Urdu |
Nasir Hussain |
Dharmendra,
Vijay Arora, Tariq Khan |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
6. |
1973 |
Zanjeer |
Urdu |
Prakash Mehra |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Pran |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
7. |
1974 |
Majboor |
Urdu |
Ravi Tandon |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Parveen Babi, Pran |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
8. |
1974 |
Haath Ki Safai |
Urdu |
Prakash Mehra |
Randhir
Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Simi Garewal, Ranjeet |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
9. |
1975 |
Deewaar |
Urdu |
Yash Chopra |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
10. |
1975 |
Sholay |
Urdu |
Ramesh Sippy |
Dharmendra,
Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
11. |
1975 |
Aakhri Dao |
Urdu |
A. Salaam |
Jeetendra,
Saira Banu, Danny Denzongpa |
Written as "Salim-Javed" |
12. |
1976 |
Premada Kanike |
Kannada |
V. Somashekhar |
Rajkumar,
Aarathi |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
13. |
1976 |
Raja Nanna Raja |
Kannada |
A. V. Seshagiri Rao |
Rajkumar,
Aarathi |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
14. |
1977 |
Immaan Dharam |
Urdu |
Desh Mukherjee |
Amitabh Bachchan,
Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
15. |
1977 |
Chacha Bhatija |
Urdu |
Manmohan Desai |
Dharmendra,
Randhir Kapoor, Hema Malini |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
16. |
1978 |
Trishul |
Urdu |
Yash Chopra |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
17. |
1978 |
Don |
Urdu |
Chandra Barot |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran (actor) |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
18. |
1979 |
Kaala Patthar |
Urdu |
Yash Chopra |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rakhee Gulzar, Shatrughan Sinha, Parveen Babi, Neetu
Singh |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
19. |
1980 |
Dostana |
Urdu |
Raj Khosla |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman, Pran (actor), Amrish Puri |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
20. |
1980 |
Shaan |
Urdu |
Ramesh Sippy |
Sunil Dutt,
Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhee Gulzar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
21. |
1981 |
Kranti |
Urdu |
Manoj Kumar |
Manoj
Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Hema Malini, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Parveen
Babi |
Written as
"Salim-Javed" |
22. |
1982 |
Shakti |
Urdu |
Ramesh Sippy |
Dilip
Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Anil Kapoor |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
23. |
1985 |
Zamana |
Urdu |
Ramesh Talwar |
Rajesh
Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon, Ranjeeta Kaur |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
24. |
1987 |
Mr. India |
Urdu |
Shekhar Kapur |
Anil
Kapoor, Sridevi, Amrish Puri |
Written as "Salim-Javed"
|
As Javed Akhtar
Sl.
No. |
Year |
Film |
Language |
Director |
Cast |
Notes |
1. |
1983 |
Betaab |
Urdu |
Rahul Rawail |
Sunny Deol,
Amrita Singh |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
2. |
1984 |
Duniya |
Urdu |
Ramesh Talwar |
Dilip
Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Amrita Singh |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
3. |
1984 |
Mashaal |
Urdu |
Yash Chopra |
Dilip
Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
4. |
1985 |
Saagar |
Urdu |
Ramesh Sippy |
Rishi
Kapoor, Kamal Haasan, Dimple Kapadia |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
5. |
1985 |
Arjun |
Urdu |
Rahul Rawail |
Sunny Deol,
Dimple Kapadia |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
6. |
1985 |
Meri Jung |
Urdu |
Subhash Ghai |
Anil
Kapoor, Meenakshi Sheshadri |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
7. |
1987 |
Dacait |
Urdu |
Rahul Rawail |
Sunny Deol,
Raakhee |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
8. |
1989 |
Main Azaad Hoon |
Urdu |
Tinnu Anand |
Amitabh
Bachchan, Shabana Azmi |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
9. |
1992 |
Khel |
Urdu |
Rakesh Roshan |
Anil
Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
10. |
1993 |
Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja |
Urdu |
Satish Kaushik |
Anil
Kapoor, Sridevi |
Written as "Javed Akhtar" |
11. |
1995 |
Prem |
Hindi |
Satish Kaushik |
Sanjay
Kapoor, Tabu |
|
12. |
1998 |
Kabhi Na Kabhi |
Hindi |
Priyadarshan |
Anil
Kapoor, Jackie Shroff |
|
13. |
2004 |
Lakshya |
Urdu |
Farhan Akhtar |
Hrithik
Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
14. |
2006 |
Don: The Chase Begins Again |
Urdu |
Farhan Akhtar |
Shah Rukh
Khan, Priyanka Chopra |
Written as
"Javed Akhtar" |
As lyricist
1. Silsila (1981)
2. Duniya (1984)
3. Saagar
4. 1942: A Love Story
5. Dil Chahta Hai
6. Saath-Saath
7. Narsimha (1991)
8. Mashaal
9. Sailaab
10. Mr. India
11. Tezaab
12. Hafta Bandh
13. Jaadugar
14. Joshilaay
15. Arjun
16. Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja
17. Yugandhar
18. Jamai Raja
19. Khel
20. Gardish
21. Papa Kehte Hai
22. Border
23. Sapnay (Dubbed version)
24. Virasat
25. Mrityudand
26. Dastak
27. Sardari Begum
28. Saaz
29. Mil Gayee Manzil Mujhe
30. Diljale
31. Yes Boss
32. Darmiyaan: In Between
33. Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya
34. Wajood
35. Kabhi Na Kabhi
36. Drohi
37. Jeans (Dubbed version)
38. Bada Din
39. Duplicate
40. Laawaris
41. Godmother
42. Baadshah
43. Arjun Pandit
44. 1947 Earth
45. Dillagi
46. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
47. Refugee
48. Karobaar
49. Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai
50. Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya
51. Champion
52. Gang
53. Pyar Ki Dhun
54. Zubeidaa
55. Lagaan
56. Abhay
57. Moksha
58. Agni Varsha
59. Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai
60. Badhaai Ho Badhaai
61. Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?
62. Satta
63. Love at Times Square
64. The Hero: Love Story of a Spy
65. Armaan
66. Chalte Chalte
67. Kuch Naa Kaho
68. Kal Ho Naa Ho
69. L.O.C. Kargil
70. Tehzeeb
71. Main Hoon Na (2004)
72. Veer-Zaara (2004)
73. Lakshya
74. Charas
75. Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...
76. Dobara
77. Swades
78. Kisna: The Warrior Poet
79. Bose: The Forgotten Hero
80. Mangal Pandey: The Rising
81. Dil Jo Bhi Kahey...
82. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
83. Don: The Chase Begins Again
84. Namastey London
85. Ta Ra Rum Pum
86. Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal
87. Welcome
88. Om Shanti Om
89. Jodhaa Akbar
90. Rock On!!
91. Luck by Chance (2009)
92. What's Your Raashee? (2009)
93. Wake Up Sid (2009)
94. Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)
95. Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010)
96. Aisha (2010)
97. Red Alert: The War Within (2010)
98. Prem Kaa Game (2010)
99. Don 2: The King is Back (2011)
100. Traffic Signal (2009)
101. Ekk Deewana Tha (2012)
102. Talaash (2012)
103. Vishwaroop (2013)
104. Mohenjo Daro (2016)
105. Raees (2017)
106. Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)
107. Rock On 2
108. Paltan (2018)
109. Namastey England (2018)
110. Gully Boy (2019)
111. Panga(2020)
No comments:
Post a Comment