Our Bureau
Mumbai
Javed Akhtar, one of Bollywood’s most iconic scriptwriters and lyricists, had some strong statements mentioning Pakistan after the recent tensions between both nations. While speaking at an event, Javed Akhtar said if he had to choose between going to hell or going to Pakistan, he would choose hell.
Akhtar was attending a book launch event of Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai where he shared how people appreciate him but there is a larger audience who trolls him as well. He also clarified that he gets trolled from extremists and people from both sides hurl insults at him. The lyricist also clarified that he thinks that’s how it should be as if he stops getting hate from one end he would think he is doing something wrong.
“What happens is that if you speak only on behalf of one side, you make only one side unhappy. But if you talk on behalf of everybody, you make a lot more people unhappy. I can show you my Twitter (now X) and WhatsApp in which abuses are showered on me from both sides. A lot of people appreciate me as well, praise me and help me keep my spirits up, but it is also true that extremists on both sides swear at me. This is how it should be, because if one side stops, I will start wondering what I am doing wrong,” Akhtar said, while speaking to the crowd.
Akhtar also spoke on how both sides perceive him in completely different ways. “One side tells me you are a ‘kaafir’ and you will go to ‘jahannum’ (hell) and the other side says you are a jihadi and should go to Pakistan. Now, if these are my only two choices, I would prefer to go to hell… I was 19 years old when I came to Mumbai and I am what I am because of the city and Maharashtra,” he said.
Akhtar has been a polarising figure in the nation as his opinions divide many. But his recent dismissal of the Pahalgam attack and the Pakistani propaganda of pining Kashmiris as people who want to be Pakistani by heart saw many coming out in support of him.
“This is a lie. When Pakistan had attacked Kashmir after Independence, Kashmiris had stopped them for three days, our Army reached only after that. The truth is they can’t live without India. What has happened (in Pahalgam) has hurt them the most. Tourism has taken a hit. Kashmiris are Indians and 99% of them are loyal to India,” he stated.
