Javed Akhtar says Farhan and Zoya ‘dream in English’ and feel his writing style is ‘outdated’; recalls being asked to write dog’s dialogues in Dil Dhadakne Do

by

As a lifelong fan and admirer of Javed Akhtar, I find his latest revelations about his children and their filmmaking styles absolutely fascinating! It’s incredible to think that this legendary screenwriter and lyricist, who penned dialogues for some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic films, is now being outshone by the creative brilliance of his own offspring.

Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who has been a significant figure in the Hindi film industry for many years, is renowned for crafting dialogue for films such as Sholay, Deewar, Mr India, among others. In a recent statement, he shared that his children Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar often think in English and find his writing style to be outdated. Moreover, Javed reminisced about being tasked with creating dialogue for a dog in the film Dil Dhadakne Do.

In a recent episode of Sapan Verma’s program Chill Sesh, Javed Akhtar discussed the creative processes and work styles of his collaborators Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar while discussing potential projects with them.

Javed mentioned that while Farhan and Zoya primarily speak English, they often dream in this language. In contrast, Javed’s native languages are Urdu or Hindustani. As the screenwriter shared, he is more proficient in these languages compared to his kids who create their films using them.

Javed Akhtar went on to say that Farhan and Zoya sometimes label some of his verses as “old-fashioned” or “timeless.” Additionally, he mentioned that they could potentially use this against him.

After reaching the age of 79, the veteran opened up about collaborating with Farhan in the film ‘Lakshya.’ He also shared that he was responsible for writing dialogue for Zoya’s first directorial project, ‘Luck By Chance.’

Discussing his daughter Zoya Akhtar, who is a filmmaker, the screenwriter-lyricist reminisced about how she asked him to pen some dialogue for her debut movie, emphasizing that he knew those characters particularly well. After their collaboration in the 2009 film, Javed mentioned that she didn’t ask him to join forces again until Dil Dhadakne Do came along.

Javed mentioned, “There was a dog character in the film who would ponder. I was asked by Zoya to pen down the dialogues for this particular canine. The rest of the script wasn’t my creation.

The veteran screenwriter remembered his daughter Zoya telling him that no one can “capture a dog’s thoughts” better than him.

Under the guidance of Zoya Akhtar, the film Dil Dhadakne Do featured Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, and Farhan Akhtar in leading positions. Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah took on significant roles within the storyline.

Read More

2024-10-07 15:52