‘Someplace our society’s collective morality is misplaced. There is a sort of ethical confusion in our society which displays in our movies.’

‘Filmmakers are hiding behind romance, ghost tales, homicide mysteries and intercourse. No movie is taking a look at social points.’

IMAGE: Javed Akhtar, poet, screenwriter and lyricist. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Shabana Azmi/Instagram.com

 

If the reality be informed it is a life nicely verse dwelling.

On January 17, poet, screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar turned 81.

The event triggered off a prepare of ideas on the sorry state of music and cinema in these troubled instances.

“In case you enter a darkish room and you do not know the place the sunshine switches, you retain groping at nighttime. I might wish to consider I do know the place the switches are,” Javed Akhtar tells Subhash Ok Jha.

Javed Akhtar: ‘Right now I am in competitors with solely with myself’

How do you look again on the 55 years of your profession as a scriptwriter and lyricist?

There have been bruises and pleasures, achievements and failures…each are equally integral to life. However in totality life has been sort.

With out attempting to be over-modest, I might wish to say that I wasted about 10 of these 55 years.

If I had labored in a extra disciplined method I might have accomplished much more. That is a lingering remorse.

I am attempting to compensate for that misplaced time. However I do not assume I can.

Right now I am in competitors with solely with myself.

If I have a look at the mediocrity throughout me I can solely get depressed.

Javedsaab, you have made poetry accessible to the frequent man…

Is not that what poetry is meant to do?

If you cannot talk your traces to the frequent man, then why are you making your artwork public?

Some artistes say they do not care if their artwork is just not understood.

There must be some distinction between your diary and shayari.

What do you’re feeling in regards to the falling requirements of music in our movies?

It may be greatest expressed by what Lataji sang in Silsila — my first movie as a lyricist — Yeh kahan aa gaye hum. Jo halaat hainussmein kya karen?

I feel the songs are part of the narrative. If the narrative is of an inferior high quality, the conditions are certain to be inferior. These in flip demand inferior songs.

Songs for Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa or Baiju Bawra may solely have been potential in these movies. These songs could not be part of a movie as we speak.

Additionally, there is a sort of concern in filmmakers that audiences’ consideration span has shortened. Therefore, there is a frenzied tempo within the narrative at the price of depth.

When songs run at a frantic velocity phrases are not vital. And since phrases not register as poetry or something close to it, lyricists are allowed to get away with something.

The standard of music additionally could be very unsympathetic in direction of poetic lyrics.

The people who find themselves extracting work out of lyricists aren’t educated to grasp poetry.

Earlier on, composers understood music and poetry.

Sachin Dev Burman wasn’t fluent in Hindi. However his sense of poetry was nonetheless impeccable.

One thing is improper with society at massive.

In our academic system the Hindustani and Urdu languages are being marginalised.

We’re dwelling in an period of a cultural void.

How do you handle to maintain your head above water?

It has taken me numerous time to return to the place I’m.

When initially my lyrics did nicely I used to be provided numerous movies. I declined all of the movies the place I felt I might have to jot down one thing I did not wish to, and could not.

The movie business bought the message loud and clear. Yeh agar likhenge to iss terah se warna nahin. I can’t transcend my inbuilt sense of morality.

Right now I work one-fifth of different profitable lyricists. And I do not remorse it.

You ask me how I search out good tasks. I feel such tasks search me out.

I admit there aren’t too many filmmakers and composers I am snug with. Fundamental to wohi karunga jo karta aaya hoon.

No unhealthy language, no grammatically incorrect metres for me. Poets can take liberties however inside the given grammatical buildings.

Who’ve been your idols as a lyric author?

Shailendra and Sahir Ludhianvi have written mindblowing songs.

Why simply them? Majrooh Sultanpuri, Jan Nissar Akhtar, Raja Mehndi Ali Khan, Bharat Vyas, Pradeep, Kaifi Azmi, even as we speak’s widespread Sameer’s father Anjaan…they’ve all written distinctive songs.

I’ve set sure requirements for myself.

I consider language is for communication.

What is the level of writing a tune if it would not talk itself to the listeners?

My father Jan Nissar Akhtar used to say, it is very simple to jot down troublesome songs and really troublesome to jot down simple songs.

A easy language possesses a sort of transparency which a lyricist can afford solely when he is certain of his concepts.

You must be very clear about your concepts to jot down merely.

In case you enter a darkish room and you do not know the place the sunshine switches, you retain groping at nighttime.

I might wish to consider I do know the place the switches are. Ambiguity forbids easy expression. I draw back from ambiguity.

‘With out sanskar it is troublesome to inform black from white’

Why aren’t you writing screenplays any extra?

At one stage I felt I used to be turning into a mechanical scriptwriter. I felt I used to be shifting in direction of mediocrity.

Earlier than that occurred I finished and targeting what excited me, particularly lyric writing.

In latest instances I used to be enthused to script my son’s movie Lakshya.

I am going to not do commissioned screenwriting. I am going to write after I really feel galvanised into the method.

As for writing expertise, GulzarSaab is an exceptionally proficient dialogue author.

However sure, we want script writers. There’s dearth of recent concepts amongst them.

The great screenplay writers are filmmakers themselves — Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowariker, Farhan Akhtar and Aditya Chopra.

Do you see hope amongst our modern filmmakers?

Even when we lose every little thing else we should not lose hope (laughs).

Sanjay Leela Bhansali whom I have not labored with thus far, Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowariker….they’re extraordinarily proficient.

Technically our movies have progressed. The identical can’t be stated in regards to the content material. And the issue is exterior the movie business.

Earlier on we had beliefs philosophies and values upon which the heroes and villains of our movies had been primarily based. However with out sanskar it is troublesome to inform black from white.

Movie don’t tackle themselves to social points any longer. There’re no Sujata or Paigham being made.

Earlier the mill proprietor was the unhealthy man and the farmer was good. We not know who’s unhealthy and good any longer!

‘I am not pessimistic in regards to the future’

To what do you attribute this aridity of ethical values in artwork?

Someplace our society’s collective morality is misplaced. There is a sort of ethical confusion in our society which displays in our movies.

Filmmakers are hiding behind romance, ghost tales, homicide mysteries and intercourse. No movie is taking a look at social points.

Swades and Lakshya had been made. They flopped. We undergo from a scarcity of historical past and sanskar.

When Lakshya which I wrote, flopped I felt the time wasn’t proper for me to jot down screenplays proper now.

How can higher socially related movies be made if they do not get the audiences’ help?

However I intend to return to screenplay penning this yr.

How do folks such as you intend to cease the desecration of aesthetics in Hindi cinema?

I am not pessimistic in regards to the future. I really feel issues are altering.

In case you hearken to the movie songs between 1985 and 1995 they had been in extraordinarily unhealthy style.

I might say comparatively issues are higher now. Progressively folks really feel the necessity for an enchancment in lyrics and melodies. There is a resistance to mediocrity.

It might take one other 5-6 years. However we’re shifting in direction of a renaissance.

Your closing ideas on the standard of lyrics as we speak?

How I miss the masters!

I miss Lata Mangeshkar. There isn’t any singer on this universe who can intone phrases the best way she will be able to.

Even when you do not know the that means of a phrase you realize by her expression. That is what a lyricist craves for.

Function Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff