Javed Akhtar, an ace lyricist, screenplay writer and poet has contributed immeasurably to Indian Cinema.
Having won various awards and critical acclaim, he is a writer par excellence - be it soulful lyrics and poetry or hard-hitting dialogues. His work with partner Salim for many blockbuster films such as Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Haathi Mere Saathi, Seeta Aur Geeta, Trishul has given the Indian film industry some of the best and truly memorable scripts and songs. It was this duo that gave Amitabh Bachchan the unforgettable 'angry young man' image.
Popularly known as Javed Saab, he has earned critical appreciation for the memorable lyrics he composed for superhit films like Dil Chahta Hai, Chalte Chalte, Kal Ho Na Ho, LOC, Swades, Kisna and Main Hoon Naamong others. He has won the coveted Filmfare Award ten times - thrice for Best Lyrics and seven times for Best Script. Besides being involved with the film industry, his music collaborations with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on Sangam and with Jagjit Singh on Silsilay topped the popularity charts. He has also composed the lyrics for Shankar Mahadevan’s record breaking album Breathless.
Javed Saab has addressed lectures on various topics ranging from poetry to religion and communalism to national harmony at top universities like Harvard, Columbia, Berkeley, Cambridge and Oxford.
The greatest honour has been bestowed upon him by the Government of India – he has won 5 national awards and is the recipient of the prestigious title of ‘Padmashri’. Javed Akhtar is also listed as one of the ‘50 Most Powerful People in India’ according to a poll conducted by India Today. |