“In a free society, you should be allowed to offend people to some extent,” remarked notable screenwriter, lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar to the audience at the Bengaluru Poetry Festival on Sunday. Akhtar engaged in a session with Delhi-based writer Humra Quraishi, where they discussed Akhtar’s early influences and Jadunama (the book on him), among other things.
Akhtar has been working on a couple of scripts, and his return to scriptwriting is huge, as he is one of the most celebrated screenwriters of Hindi cinema, especially his notable partnership with Salim Khan. But Indian cinema wears a new robe now, having gone through multiple changes. So, how did he brave this challenge?
“Fortunately, I have changed with the times as well,” quips Akhtar. “The problem comes when cinema is changing, and you are not. Or when life is changing but you are not. In those cases, you get left behind. If you are evolving with time, then you are contemporary at any time,” he shares.
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