Speaker

In the realm of film, Javed Akhtar has garnered an impressive array of accolades, including five National Awards from the Government of India for Best Lyricist, three of them consecutively—an unparalleled feat. He has also clinched 15 Filmfare Awards, often dubbed India’s Oscars, in categories for Best Script Writer and Best Lyricist.

Notably, Javed Akhtar’s literary prowess extends beyond cinema. He received the Poet Laureate Award from Tata Literature Live in 2020 and the prestigious Richard Dawkins Award from the Center for Inquiry and the Richard Dawkins Foundation in the United States in the same year. He holds honorary Doctorate degrees (Doctor of Letters) from Symbiosis International University and Jamia Hamdard University, among others. The Ghalib Award, Hindi Akademi’s Shalaka Award, and a Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014 further underscore his literary excellence.

Apart from his lyrical and poetic contributions, Javed Akhtar has penned influential works on Indian cinema, such as ‘Talking Films’ and ‘Talking Songs,’ which are considered definitive texts and are found in major Ivy League University libraries in the USA. His latest addition to this series, ‘Talking Life,’ was recently published by Westland Publications.

Javed Akhtar’s impact isn’t confined to the creative realm alone. In 2010, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) as a Member of Parliament by the President of India. His tireless efforts resulted in the passage of the Copyright Amendment Bill in 2012, granting copyright royalties to lyricists and music composers. He also serves as the Chairman of IPRS, the Government-recognized Copyright Society of India since 2017. Furthermore, he was the Vice-President of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), becoming the first Asian to sit on its Governing Board.

Beyond his artistic and legislative accomplishments, Javed Akhtar stands as a prominent social activist, advocating for the rights of the underprivileged and gender justice. His unwavering stance against religious fundamentalism earned him the prestigious Richard Dawkins Award in 2020.