Javed Akhtar remembers his days of struggle
The documentary ‘Angry Young Man’ based on the life of Hindi cinema’s famous scriptwriter duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar streamed on Prime Video on August 20. This 3-episode series is directed by Namrata Rao, who has also made her debut as a director with this series. This documentary sheds light on many aspects of Salim-Javed’s life. In this series, lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar was also seen talking about his tough struggles after moving to Bombay. The documentary is about the journey, challenges and eventual victory of Bollywood’s most influential writer duo Salim-Javed.
When I left Bhopal and came to Mumbai
Javed Akhtar graduated from Saifia College, Bhopal. After his graduation, Javed Akhtar came to the city of dreams Bombay (now Mumbai) to make his career in the film world. He worked as an assistant director with legendary filmmakers Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor. Remembering both the late filmmakers, Javed Akhtar said- ‘They were directors whom I admired a lot at that time. I was sure that I would become a director myself in no time.’
I had to struggle to stay alive: Javed Akhtar
Recalling his struggle, he said- ‘I was at my father’s house for exactly five days, and then I left alone.’ Javed Akhtar revealed during this time that because he had no place to live, he lived with friends. Sometimes he slept at the railway station, sometimes in the park and sometimes on the benches of the studio compound. He had to struggle a lot to stay alive. The most difficult period for Javed Akhtar was when he had nothing to wear and eat.
Javed Akhtar had only one trouser
Javed Akhtar says- ‘My last and only pair of pants was torn to such an extent that it could no longer be worn. And I had no other trousers.’ He recalled how he left his aunt’s house at the age of 15, after which he never asked for help from his family, he was determined to do it on his own.
Shabana Azmi shared an emotional story
Javed’s wife and veteran actress Shabana Azmi shared another emotional anecdote and revealed that there was a time when Javed Akhtar did not eat for three days. “It was raining heavily, and he saw a faint light shining from an apartment in a nearby building. He saw that light and said to himself- ‘I was not born to die like this. This time will pass.'”
Javed Akhtar started crying remembering the difficult times
Recalling that difficult time, Javed broke down in tears and said- “If you have been deprived of food or sleep in your life, it leaves a deep impact on you which you can never forget. Sometimes I would be served breakfast on a trolley with butter, jam, half fried egg, coffee, then I would think to myself ‘Teri aukaat tha? Am I worthy of this?’ Even now, it seems that this breakfast is not for me’.
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