Mere Dushman, Mere Bhai, Mere Humrahi– these words that flowed out of the lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar’s quill convey much more than a cornucopia of work on ‘present human condition’.
Javed Akhtar’s incomparably simplistic style of writing which is replete with poetic beauty is an ample proof of the fact that he is the poet of contemporary times.
As the son of renowned Urdu poet Jaan Nissar Akhtar and nephew to Majaz, Javed Akhtar grew up in an environment that laid the firm foundations for the poet in him. His father’s death marked the turning point in his life. As he wrote in the introduction to his first collection of poems Tarkash – “I was a non-conformist son until my father’s death. But after that I went through identity crisis, I began the quest to find myself.”
It was this quest for his identity that brought him to Mumbai, many years ago. Soon his meeting with Salim Khan led to the Salim-Javed duo, who penned some immortal films like Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, and thus created Indian cinema’s most enduring icon – 'the angry young man'. From there Javed Akhtar went on to become one of the most sought after screenplay writers of Hindi films.
Three times winner of the Filmfare Award for being the Best Lyricist (in 1994, 1996 and 1997), today Javed Akhtar is counted among the highly respected lyricists and poets in India. Not only have his songs and poems embellished many a film but also contributed to the music industry when he teamed up with musicians like the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and many others. And unlike many songwriters of the present times he believes in doing quality work and shuns the frivolous and slushy lyrics.
Only a songwriter of his caliber could pen songs like Kuch Na Kaho (1942, A Love Story) or Sandeshe Aate Hain (Border), which are so simple that any layman could easily relate to them and yet so rich in lyrical beauty. And his latest works in films like Refugee, Pukar and Karobar are no less commendable. Director J P Dutta is all praises for him: “Javed Saheb is literally fighting a war with words. In fact, the songs in Refugee are so strong that they will touch the toughest hearts on both sides (India and Pak) and melt them.”
Today, many musicians (Sandeep Chowta, for example) have expressed their wish to work with Javed Akhtar. They admit that his words will not only add a new dimension to the song, they can even take music to new heights. It hardly needs any saying that Javed Akhtar has earned a respectable place for himself by making priceless contribution to the Indian film industry.
Mere Dushman, Mere Bhai, Mere Humrahi– these words that flowed out of the lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar’s quill convey much more than a cornucopia of work on ‘present human condition’. 