I have learnt the essence of friendship from Bhopal and Bhopalites,” says renowned writer, poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar. Javed Akhtar is not a name that needs any introduction. He is a known lyricist, a poet, a scriptwriter and a wonderful human being. Considered to be one of the pioneers of Bollywood, Javed Akhtar has set milestones not only in his career but also in Urdu literature.
The man who has penned the charismatic songs like ‘Ek ladki Ko Dekha’, ‘Tere liye’, ‘Iktara’ and scripted all-time-watch movies like Sholay and Deewar shares a deep and a beautiful relationship with Bhopal.
He was recently in Bhopal and was awarded with Meer Taki Meer Award by Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy.
Going nostalgic, Javed sahib remembers his good old days in Bhopal. While in an exclusive rendezvous with The Pioneer Javed sahib talks about the time he has spent in the city of lakes.
He told The Pioneer, “The time I have spent in city is one of the best times of my life.”
Narrating the entire period just like a story Javed Akhtar said, “It was the year 1960 to 1964 when Mughal-e-Azam was released and I was in Bhopal.”
Aaj bhi yaad karta hoon us waqt ko main, he said in an emotional tone. “That was the time when I spent my days only on the goodwill of my friends. To be true the essence of friendship I have learned from Bhopal and Bhopalites.”
Remembering his good old days, he also remembers the ‘qisse’ with Taj Bhopali and those unforgettable nights with friends and poetry.
“Bhopal is very close to me and my memories,” he added.
On asking about the emerging poets, Javed Akhtar threw light on how with the changing time, the content and the styles of writing are also changing.
Commenting on this, Javed Akhtar said, “There is a school of art, school of dance and music, but there is no school of poetry. Poetry is only learned with a lot of reading and understanding.”
Elaborating further he says, “Just like craft is an entire mathematics, poetry is also as big as mathematics. There are twists and there are techniques of poetry. The emerging poets have to work upon these techniques,” added Javed Akhtar.
He signed off with giving an advice, “Never get satisfied with your work. There is always a room for more learning and more exploring in life.”