About
Javed Akhtar, born 17 January 1945 in Gwalior, is one of the most celebrated Urdu poets, lyricists and screenwriters in India. He comes from a distinguished literary family: his father Jan Nisar Akhtar and grandfather Muztar Khairabadi were both noted poets. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, and has won five National Film Awards.
Akhtar first rose to fame as one half of the screenwriting duo Salim-Javed, whose films Zanjeer, Deewaar and Sholay reshaped Hindi cinema and created its 'angry young man'. He then became one of its most acclaimed lyricists, with more than a thousand songs, and a leading contemporary Urdu poet, publishing collections including Tarkash and the Sahitya-Akademi-winning Lava. He remains a headline presence at mushairas and literary festivals, from the Shankar-Shad Mushaira to Jashn-e-Rekhta.
The artistry
Akhtar writes in a clear, muscular Urdu with a strong social conscience, equally effective in the intimate ghazal and the rousing nazm. On the mushaira stage his commanding recitation and moral clarity make him a headline draw.
Akhtar is a marquee mushaira and literary-festival name, drawing large, cross-generational crowds. A host can programme a mushaira recitation, a sadaarat, or an in-conversation on poetry and cinema. [Atlas Assessment]
A shaper of modern Hindi cinema and a major living Urdu poet, who carries the mushaira tradition to large contemporary audiences.