The maverick lyricist reveals it all – from the toughest songs he’s done, RD Burman and more on 28th August at 8 PM
With its core proposition ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, Zee Classic aims at reviving nostalgic moments and memories while promising to bring home the timeless magic of classic Hindi cinema. Keeping this core thought in mind, the channel is celebrating music from The Golden Era (1950-1975) in an exclusive twenty-six part series that started on 6th Match titled, ‘The Golden Years 1950 – 1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’. This Sunday 28th August at 8 PM , watch the season finale of the musical extravaganza. The 26th episode is an ode to the incredible craftsmanship of the anchor Javed Akhtar. Designed especially by Javed himself, the finale gives us a glimpse of his experiences of penning down some evergreen classics of Hindi cinema.
Javed’s reluctance to become a lyricist made him refuse Yash Chopra and that’s how it all started. He recollects with a smile, “Jis filmmaker ke saath log kaam karne ko taraste the Maine unhe na bol diya tha kyunki mujhe gaane likhne hi nahi the. Par Yashji bhi bade persuasive director the. Unhone mujhe mana liya aur maine pehli baar gaane likhe Silsila ke liye!” And from there began a journey which gave us many timeless melodies such as “Neela Aasman So Gaya” “Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum”, “Saagar Kinare Dil Yeh Pukare”, “Kuch Naa Kaho” “Jaadu Bhari Aankhon Wali Suno” and many more.
Speaking about his most loved music composer R.D Burman, Javed Akhtar shares “There was a time when Burman was completely cornered. People had lost faith in his talent till Vidhu Vinod Chopra approached him with 1942… A Love Story. I was the lyricist for it. During the narration, I remember insisting to have a song when the hero looks out for the girl in the film. They didn’t find it necessary initially so asked me to write something and show them. Two days passed and I was worried as I going to meet them but I had written nothing. Somehow when I was driving past Lido Cinema House in Juhu, the concept struck me and I told them it should be titled Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga followed by simileys. Burman said that this song will have three paras of simileys. By the time I reached the third para, I was stressed out. I wanted the simileys to be very pure and not about something mediocre. That took a toll. This song finally had 21 simileys and took 2 days to finish.”
These and many more chartbusters gradually rolled into the 90’s and here, began the era of Javed Akhtar’s unmatched expertise. He associated with the crème de la crème of Bollywood including A.R Rahman, Jatin-Lalit, Shyam Benegal, Yash Johar , Ashutosh Gowariker, Anu Malik and his own son, Farhan Akhtar.
Javed also shares and incident when he thought he wasn’t sure about writing a song for the first time ever. He says, “When Swades was being shot, I got a SOS message from Ashutosh to reach Wai immediately. He told me that I need to write a song right there which Rehman will record the next day and was due to leave for London immediately. I thought it was a regular song. But Ashutosh told me the song is about a debate between Ravan and Sita about Lord Ram and I almost had a heart attack. I had no books or data to refer to but Ashutosh was sure I could do it. And, I was sure that I won’t be able to write anything. It was 6 AM next morning when I woke up and took a try. I was convinced that I will tell Ashutosh that I tried but was unable to do it. I still don’t know how but in the next 2 hours, I had written half of the song. I still wonder how those words flowed out but am happy that the song worked well in the film.”
Almost for four decades now, Javed Akhtar is serving Hindi cinema with memorable songs that stand the test of time. An award winning and renowned personality, Javed Akhtar’s success story speaks volumes of sheer talent, consistency and a never ending urge for excellence.
Get ready to hear more unknown truths about the ace lyricist and scriptwriter in the Season Finale of
‘The Golden Years 1950 -1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’ this Sunday, 28th August at 8 PM, only on Zee Classic