Poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar has poetry well ingrained in his DNA. But he gives Yash Chopra the credit for discovering his talent, even before he did so himself. Through his words he transcends from poetic brilliance into filmi melodies, ever so seamlessly. On Javed Akhtar’s birthday, here’s a jukebox of his poetry, that gave us some of Bollywood’s most iconic songs, most of which we hum even after two decades.
I should thank him (Yash Chopra) and keep thanking him forever, because I was very reluctant and I did not want to become a lyricist. Perhaps he was so sure that I would be able to do it to his satisfaction, that he really forced me into it and I must thank him for that.Javed Akhtar, Poet & Lyricist (from a televised CNN-IBN interview)
The Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha starrer Silsila (1981) set Javed Akhtar off to a great start as a lyricist, and there has been no looking back. Javed saab’s lyrics make poetry accessible to filmi audiences, who might not quite enjoy the taste of a mushaira.
The Saath Saath album remains a Jagjit Singh classic. But not many know that Javed Akhtar penned its soulful nazms. Jagjit’s voice was made to express Javed’s words.
Who can forget Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor’s chemistry in Saagar? The film might not have been a blockbuster hit but its music still get us humming along. The easy lyrics of Chehra Hai Ya Chand Khila Hai makes it an evergreen love song.
It is the richness of the lyrics which makes the song immortal. I personally believe that the tune is the body and the words are the character of a song.Javed Akhtar (from a televised CNN-IBN interview)
Talk about versatility. Javed Akhtar has an enviable range. He’s written dance numbers like Madhuri Dixit’s hugely popular Ek Do Teen from Tezaab and Dard-E-Disco from Om Shanti Om, but he swears off vulgar lyrics.
Ab songs songs nahi rahay, item songs ho gai hain! Even if someone holds a gun to my head, I would not write lyrics like Choli Ke Peechay Kya Hai and Gandi Baat! If as an audience you can protest against a film that hurts your religious sentiments, you ought to also protest against vulgarity and bad writing.Javed Akhtar (as reported by Dawn)
Javed Akhtar also took the music-video era by storm with Afreen Afreen. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s vocal’s and Lisa Ray’s eyes took poetry into the fusion space that the younger lot appreciated and cherished.
Good lyrics are never forgotten. Only a sensible song will be remembered in the long run.Javed Akhtar (as reported by Dawn)
Akhtar’s words are rebellious and poignant and he doesn’t intend to change that. But he realises that in this day and age, songs are now being watched, and not heard.
Aaj kal gaana suna nahi jaata, dekha jaata hai. Gaana museebat mein hai. Apne merit par pasand nai aata. (A song is not heard anymore, it is watched. Songs are in trouble. They’re not appreciated on their own merit.)Javed Akhtar (As reported by HT)
So do Javed Akhtar’s poetic emotions find inspiration in his wife Shabana Azmi? He described their relationship in an interview published in Filmfare magazine back in 2001.
Shabana and I were friends before marriage and that’s how it has remained. A good relationship is one where you are not the centrifugal point and your partner is not a satellite. I mistrust love without respect. There are a lot of couples who claim to be in love but have zero respect for each other. That’s not the real thing.Javed Akhtar
From the intense and brooding Silsila and Saath Saath, to Bollywood’s fresh young lot- Wake Up Sid, Rock On! and the latest Shah Rukh Khan flick Raees, Javed Akhtar moulds his craft to move with the times, without compromising on the depth of his words. Here’s raising a toast to a true genius.
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