Javed Akhtar

For the Pakistani cricketer, see Javed Akhtar (cricketer).

Javed Akhtar
Akhtar in 2012
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
22 March 2010 – 21 March 2016
Nominated byPratibha Patil
Succeeded byNavjot Singh Sidhu
ConstituencyNominated (Arts)
Personal details
Born (1945-01-17) 17 January 1945 (age 79)
Gwalior, Gwalior State, British India
(present-day Madhya Pradesh, India)
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1972; div. 1985)​
    ; 2 children
  • ​
    (m. 1984)​
Children
Parent
RelativesMuztar Khairabadi (grand father)
Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi (great grandfather)
Hamida Salim (aunt)
Ansar Harvani (uncle)
Majaz (uncle)
Salman Akhtar (brother)
EducationColvin Taluqdars' College, Lucknow
Occupation
Signature

Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007,[1] two of India's highest civilian honours.

Akhtar came to recognition in the duo Salim–Javed, and earned his breakthrough as a screenwriter with 1973's Zanjeer. He went on to write the films Deewaar and Sholay, both released in 1975; they earned a cult following, and had a significant impact in popular culture. He later earned praise for his work as a lyricist, winning the National Film Award for Best Lyrics five times and the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist eight times.

Akhtar notably campaigned for the Communist Party of India (CPI) and their candidate in the 2019 Indian general election, and was a member of parliament in Rajya Sabha.[2] For his work, he received the Richard Dawkins Award in 2020.[3][4][5][6]

  1. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Javed Akhtar, Aiyar among 5 nominated to RS". Rediff. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference dawkins was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Javed Akhtar Becomes Only Indian to Win Richard Dawkins Award". 7 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Writer, Poet, Lyricist, and Atheist Activist Javed Akhtar Wins Richard Dawkins Award | Center for Inquiry". 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  6. ^ Fidalgo, Paul (2020). "Richard Dawkins award goes to writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar". Skeptical Inquirer. 45 (5): 6.