Poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar believes common folks in every country want peace and even when they show bitterness towards another nation, their sentiment is driven by a latent desire for peace.

Javed Akhtar discussed several topics including Indo-Pak relations, Urdu poetry and his work on Aaj News show ‘Spot Light with Munizae Jahangir.’ He visited Pakistan to attend Faiz Festival in Lahore.

The poet said he will visit the country again if invited. He received warmth during his visit and was returning to India as a happy person.

Javed Akhtar also said ‘regressive forces’ was gaining traction all over the world.

Urdu, he said, was never a communal language, barring one exception that he would not name.

Desire for peace

India and Pakistan were on the brink of a full-blown war exactly four years ago when Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet and captured Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after he intruded Pakistani airspace. The two countries have not entered open peace talks since then though some backchannel contacts have been explored.

India has rejected peace talks citing the absence of a ‘conducive atmosphere’ as Bollywood churns out anti-Pakistan movies representing the bitterness India feels towards Pakistan.

Javed Akhtar tried to explain that bitterness, saying it masked a desire for peace.

“I believe the common man from any country, from any country in the world, does not desire war. There is a possibility that he may grow fearful that a threat emanates from that place for our lives, our peace. So, if he is becoming an enemy or growing bitter, it is because he thinks that the peace he desires eludes because of them(the other nation). Now, such misunderstandings happen or sometime it is true, that is another topic. But [he] wants peace. So, if he becomes the enemy … and says bitter things it is because he believes that these people are the enemy of my peace. Eventually, he desire peace. If he learns that he will get peace through friendship, he has no problem. He will be very happy,” said Javed Akhtar.

Javed Akthar would not discuss the subject at length and wrapped up by saying that any discussion that went beyond five minutes made both parties wrong. “It is a complicated thing. You have your own point of view, we have ours, but I believe every sharif man on this side or that side will want peace, good relations, sports relations, cultural exchanges,[and] students exchanges. This should happen, but we can only make wishes.”

Ultimately, it was the governments that controlled the destiny of the nations. Regardless of how many poems we write, create paintings, or produce plays, a single incident can destroy everything, he said.

What people could do was to plainly tell their governments they didn’t want war.

He then recited one of his couplets in the context of Indo-Pak relations.

Kabhi ttu insaan zindagi ki karey ga izzatt

Yeh ik umeed aaj bhi dil min pal rahi hey

Majoritarianism

Javed Akhtar said right-wing or ‘regressive forces’ all over the world were becoming “more and more relevant” and gaining power. Turkiye, which was the only progressive country in the “so-called Muslim World” — a term he would want to be replaced by a better alternative — thanks to Kemal Ataturk, exhibited a regressive attitude now, he said.

At a critical juncture when India drifts towards majoritarian extremism, Javed Akhtar also discussed the sensitive subject without any direct reference to the current political situation of India.

In response to a question about his final speech in the Indian parliament, Javed Akhtar said without secularism the definition of majority and minority becomes permanent and it kills democracy.

“If you come up with a permanent definition of majority and miniority, democracy will die then and there. Bhui, this is the majority and that is the minority and it is not going to change… When secularism is not there, the definition of majority and minority will be permanent. And democracy cannot afford that,” said the poet.

Jadoo

Javed Akhtar was named ‘Jadoo’ at birth by the friends of his father because a line in the poem written on his parent’s wedding read. “Lamha lamjha kissi Jadoo ka fasaana hoga.”

(His father was a renowned poet Jan Nisar Akhtar.)

He was named Javed when his parents decided to enroll him in the school. Usually, children get a nickname based on their name, but he got a name based on his nickname.

Javed Akhtar confirmed that his political awareness was the product of his parent’s political activism. They taught him to sing the national anthem with correct pronunciations, he said.

Liberal values and ideas about women’s emancipation were never unfamiliar to him. He learned them at home at a very young age.

He left his family at the age of 15, breaking all bonds with them. He had no support from his father, but he would not divulge into details. Most of the people involved were no longer in the world.

He spent his college life in Bhopal away from his father who was in Mumbai (then Bombay). Life was difficult for him, but he was optimistic.

Poetry and film

In 1964, he went to Bombay to spend only five days with his father. He became independent.

He landed a dialogue writing job for the movie Sarhadi Lutera. Salim was an actor in the movie. This is how they met.

They formed an instant bond and spent evenings discussing potential movie scripts.

Then, the producer who produced Sarhadi Lutera gave them work and paid INRs5,000. With either of the duo getting Rs2,500, they felt like hitting a jackpot.

This was in 1969— five years since he started his struggle. They were ghostwriters, so there was no question of credits. But their first job helped them get more work at Rs700 per month.

Javed Akhtar felt he had “arrived.”

Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan joined hands to produce screenplays for several successful Bollywood films.

He narrated how they fought to win recognition among the wider audience beyond a selected few in the industry.

Screenwriters’ names were not given on movie posters back then.

Salim and Javed hired two jeeps and painters to get their names painted on the posters already plastered to the walls.

The painters were drunk and brushed their names everywhere, including over the faces of actors.

Urdu not a communal language

Javed Akhtar said barring one exemption – that he would not name because everyone in Pakistan knew — not a single Urdu poet had communal thinking.

Urdu poetry was always anti-establishment as evidenced by the villains it painted. They were the preacher, ombudsman, sheikh, and mullah while the drunkard and lover were the heroes.

Then the pan-Indian progressive movement followed but only Urdu poets emerged as heroes. That was the power of Urdu.

Javed Akhtar offered accolades for Amitabh Bachchan saying Big B’s performance improved the quality of scenes written by him.