Nishad Neelambaran (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 17, 2020)

Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar spent most of his time in the Coronavirus lockdown at his Khandala home, and is in love with its picturesque location. “Within an hour-and-a-half from my house here [in Mumbai] you are on a hill station with clouds coming into your room, and complete calm,” says the Padma Bhushan awardee.

Ask if there will be added pressure to come up with quality scripts and lyrics owing to the time everyone has had during the lockdown, and Akhtar, 75, says, “The pressure has always been there, corona or no corona (laughs). People are not willing to take anything mediocre.”

In recent months, Bollywood has been making the headlines for various reasons. Talking about the hot topic of nepotism, Akhtar says, “Inheritance cannot be called nepotism. In the film industry, nepotism is not possible because ultimately, the person who is buying the ticket cannot be rigged. Maybe somebody born in a film family has a foot in the door, but that’s about all.” As for drug abuse allegations, he says, “I’ve not seen drugs. I have heard young people tend to use drugs, but that is not just in the film industry, it is the malice of society.”

Akhtar, awarded the Richard Dawkins Award earlier this year, says he has not encountered favouritism in the music fraternity. “B R Chopra had Sahir (Ludhianvi; lyricist), Yash Chopra also worked with Sahir for long. When you work with each other, your communication is perfectly honed,” he adds.