Javed Akhtar

Biography

Javed Akhtar (Urdu pronunciation: [d͡ʒɑːʋɛd̪ əxt̪əɾ]; born 17 January 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist, poet, and political activist. Renowned for his extensive work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civilian honours. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest screenwriters and lyricists in the history of Indian cinema.
Akhtar first gained prominence as one half of the screenwriting duo Salim–Javed, alongside Salim Khan. The pair achieved their breakthrough with Zanjeer (1973) and went on to pen several landmark films, including Deewaar (1975) and Sholay (1975). These works achieved cult status and had a lasting influence on Indian popular culture, particularly through their portrayal of the "angry young man" archetype. Following the duo’s split in the early 1980s, Akhtar transitioned into lyric writing, earning acclaim for his poetic and socially conscious lyrics.
In addition to his film career, Akhtar has been an outspoken public intellectual and activist, known for his advocacy of secularism, freedom of expression, and gender equality. He has written and spoken extensively on issues of religion, human rights, and rationalism. Akhtar served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 2010 to 2016, representing the arts. He also publicly supported the Communist Party of India (CPI) during the 2019 Indian general election. For his contributions to literature, film, and free thought, he became the first Indian to receive the Richard Dawkins Award in 2020.
In 2024, Amazon Prime Video released a three-part documentary series titled Angry Young Men, focusing on the partnership between Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. The documentary explores their creative process, personal relationship, and the enduring impact of their films on Indian cinema.
In December 2025, Akhtar participated in a public philosophical debate titled Does God Exist? at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, where he discussed questions of faith, morality, and human suffering with Islamic scholar Shamail Nadwi. Approaching the issue from an atheist perspective, Akhtar questioned the idea of divine justice, particularly in the context of civilian suffering in conflict zones. The debate attracted wide media coverage and public discussion in India and abroad.

Early life

Javed Akhtar was born in 1945 in Gwalior. His father Jan Nisar Akhtar was a songwriter in Hindi films and an Urdu poet. His paternal grandfather Muztar Khairabadi was a poet as was his grandfather's elder brother, Bismil Khairabadi, while his great great grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, was a religious scholar of Islam. Javed Akhtar's original name was Jadoo, taken from a line in a poem written by his father: "Lamha, lamha kisi jadoo ka fasana hoga". He was given the official name of Javed since it was close to the word jadoo. He spent most of his childhood and was schooled in Lucknow. He graduated from Saifiya College in Bhopal.

Career as scriptwriter

Initially, in the 1970s, there was generally no concept of having the same writer for the screenplay, story and dialogue, nor were the writers given any credits in the titles. Rajesh Khanna is credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi. Javed Akhtar stated in an interview that one day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow, Aashirwad. But the film was a remake and the script of the original was far from being satisfactory. "He told us that if we could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit."
Their first big success was the script for Andaz (1971), followed by Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) and Seeta Aur Geeta (1972). They also had hits with Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Zanjeer (1973), Haath Ki Safai (1974), Deewaar (1975), Sholay (1975), Chacha Bhatija (1977), Don (1978), Trishul (1978), Dostana (1980), Kranti (1981), Zamana (1985) and Mr. India (1987). They have worked together in 24 films including two Kannada films – Premada Kanike and Raja Nanna Raja.
Of the 24 films they wrote, 20 were hits. Their scripts which were not successful at box office include Adhikar (1971), Aakhri Dao (1975), Immaan Dharam (1977) and Shaan (1980). Though they split in 1982, due to ego issues, some of the scripts they wrote were made into hit films later, such as Zamana and Mr. India. Salim-Javed, many a time described as "the most successful scriptwriters of all-time", are also noted to be the first scriptwriters in Indian cinema to achieve star status.

Personal life

Akhtar was nominated to the Parliament upper house Rajya Sabha on 16 November 2009.
Akhtar was married to Honey Irani, with whom he had two children, Farhan Akhtar, a film actor, producer, director and Zoya Akhtar, a film writer, director and producer. The father-and-son duo have worked together in films such as Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Rock On!! and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara with Zoya. Farhan was previously married to hair stylist Adhuna Akhtar, they divorced in 2017, and he is currently married to actress and singer Shibani Dandekar.
Despite having an Islamic upbringing, Akhtar declared himself to be an "equal opportunity atheist" who is against all faiths, and also brought up his children Farhan and Zoya Akhtar as atheists. However, he continues to identify as a "cultural Muslim" because of his heritage associated with the Islamic civilization.
Akhtar married Shabana Azmi, the daughter of Urdu poet, Kaifi Azmi and later divorced Irani. Akhtar's uncle, Asrar-ul-Haq "Majaz" was also an Urdu poet. His uncle, Ansar Harvani, was a member of the Indian independence movement and an elected Member of Parliament. Akhtar's aunt, Hamida Salim, was an Indian author, economist and educator as well.