Today’s youth is a lesser hypocrite: Javed Akhtar

Known as an Urdu poet, lyricist and scriptwriter, Javed Akhtar is a most sought-after lyricist in Bollywood. Akhtar has won the Filmfare Award fourteen times and won the National Award five times as best Lyricist. He is also a proud holder of the Padamshree (1999) and Padma Bhushan Award (2007). Javed Akhtar gets candid in an exclusive talk with Ashok Kumar of IndianExpress.com.

What are the big challenges before literature in the contemporary times?
The mindset of our society towards literature is one challenge for the popularity of literature. Every society has a list of priorities which it follows. Unfortunately, literature is not a priority for our society and anything that does not help us materially is not relevant for us anymore.

Why do you think is literature not popular in India?
Because of the social conditions, in which we live, most of us don’t have the time to develop aesthetic sense for literature. Moreover, the vocabulary of the younger generation is shrinking with the each passing day. Language is not just a vehicle for communication. It is a fine art in itself. But, look, what is happening to language these days, even the proverbs have been forgotten in the language.

Full interview here Indian Express