"An Atheist Muslim"

Barkha Dutt speaks Film Writer - Lyricist - Poet, Javed Akhtar in the 47th episode of our podcast, 'Inside Out'. Javed Akhtar 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, two of India's highest civilian honors. Akhtar gained recognition as part of the duo Salim–Javed, and achieved breakthrough success as a screenwriter with 1973's Zanjeer. He went on to write the films Deewaar and Sholay, both released in 1975. Later, he garnered 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. Notably, Akhtar campaigned for the Communist Party of India (CPI) and their candidate in the 2019 Indian general election and served as a member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha. In recognition of his contributions, he was honored with the Richard Dawkins Award in 2020. Catch him in candid and most heartfelt conversation with Barkha Dutt. From dealing with the critics from both left and right to his identity as an "atheist muslim" , he takes you on a personal journey which reminds him of his young days when he had no food to eat for three days straight. You don't want to miss this conversation.