Lyricist Javed Akhtar speaks

Javed Speak

Lyricist Javed Akhtar speaks of matters close to his heart… music, Mumbai and more

Subhash K Jha

Javed Akhtar is one busy man these days. After a relatively quiet 2005, Akhtar is back doing what he does best. "I have JP Dutta's Umrao Jaan and Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna lined up one after another. I hope people like my work."

Speaking of Umrao Jaan, he says, "It was a special challenge primarily because it was a remake. People still listen to songs from Umrao Jaan. I had to write poetry for mujras. In fact I wrote a whole song in pure Awadhi. Both the music of KANK and Umrao Jaan will be released at about the same time. And they're both so dissimilar!" he points out.

Talking of Umrao Jaan the conversation veers towards Rekha. Akhtar confesses that he doesn't think much of Rekha as an actress. However he is going ga-ga over her performance in Krissh. "I've never been a Rekha fan. But I like her immensely in Krissh. Unka rona hasna sab heroine ka hota hai. (She laughs and cries like a heroine) But the way she weeps in Krissh is truly worth applauding. Krissh is one of those films that usher in a new era in Indian cinema. Even in terms of special effects, Krissh has set new standards."

Akhtar is also working with Himesh Reshammiya for Namaste London. Speaking of this unusual teaming up… "Himesh will surprise everyone with this set of songs. All the tunes are done in the bandish tradition."

The lyricist says that he is moved by Akbar Asif's gesture of cancelling the whole trip to Pakistan because his visa was cancelled. "It is very courageous on Asif's part to cancel an event that had already cost him a lot of money. When from all the delegates only my visa was cancelled suddenly without providing any reason whatsoever, I was dumbstruck. Later they decided to reissue it, but by then Akbar had decided to call off the trip. What a pity!" he says.

The lyricist is also stunned by the Reader's Digest's claim of Mumbai being the rudest city. He lashes out, "I came to Mumbai on October 4, 1954. Since then this city has given me everything. So I was taken aback when Readers' Digest called it a rude city. Mumbai is a no-nonsense city. We may not have time for niceties. But when it comes to showing solidarity we're right on the top. Look at how compassionate people were during last year's floods! I guess they're (the magazine) hostile to anyone who is anti-US."

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