'Listen to young talent to remain contemporary'

Legendary screenplay writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who has penned the lyrics of actress Sonam Kapoor's next film Aisha, says he tries to remain contemporary by listening and understanding the language of the young talent he works with.

You need not to show when you have to bring change in your language, it automatically becomes apparent," Akhtar said.

"I work with very young talent, some are even younger than my children. I listen to them very carefully, what they are saying, why they are saying so, keeping aside the jokes. If we listen to them and try understanding them then we will also remain contemporary," Akhtar told IANS at the music launch of Aisha at Mahalaxmi Race course here Sunday.

Akhtar was all praise for Amit Trivedi, the music director of Aisha and says film industry has got such a talent after a long time.

"The music is very youthful and energetic, you can say a very smart music. This boy, Amit Trivedi, would be a very big music director, I am saying it, keep it in record. He is very talented and after a long time anyone with so much of talent has come in Bombay film industry," said Akhtar.

Full report here DNA

For better or verse

The small café on the first floor of a bakery was solemn only in its silence. Else, the smiles on the faces of the people filling up the tables told of a joy that one finds only among like-minded people. The lectern was taken by a young man and as he recited his piece, young and old sat in rapt attention. When the applause came, it was evident it was from the heart. Whoever said no one has time for poetry these days mustn’t have heard of this group.

Sure, it’s still popular  among certain circles but does petry pay? “Reading  your poetry to live audiences, private poetry readings, sale of published poetry, and reading at large Hindustani poetry platforms where it is tradition to pay invited poets,” are some of the ways to earn, says Amit Dahiyabadshah, the founder of Delhi Poetree, under whose aegis regular poetry reading sessions are held. He is also a well-known poet, who has collections such as Last Will of the Tiger, Bhiksha, American Face, Mitti, Chidiya and Script Arabic to his credit.

He adds that earnings can range from just travel expenses plus Rs 1,000, to Rs 2.5 lakh per reading. Poets have been known to make decent money by writing for cinema and television too, Javed Akhtar and Gulzar, for example.

Full report here Hindustan Times

Javed Akhtar gets death threat for fatwa remarks

Renowned lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar has received a death threat in the form of an email, reportedly in reaction to his comments against Darul Uloom Deoband's fatwa against working Muslim women.

Akhtar says he doesn't know who sent him the e-mail. He says he received threats via SMS earlier.

"I got different kinds of responses. While on one hand people had reservations about my stance, on the other I was applauded for my comments. You can voice your opinion but can't threaten anyone," Akhtar told IBN7.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police has sprung into action, providing him with security. Akhtar is expected to meet the Mumbai Police Commissioner this evening.

Full report here IBN Live

This was a perfect evening for poets

For lovers of mushaira, it was a perfect evening as poets from India and Pakistan gathered at the 46th Shankar-Shad mushaira in Delhi recently. 

From Pakistan renowned poets like Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, VC of the University of Karachi and Zehra Nigah, who is popularly called the nightingale of Pakistan, were present. She has been coming to this festival for the past 20 years and was extremely delighted to be here again. From India there were poets from places like Bareilly, Aligarh, Ajmer, Mumbai and other cities. Also present were Anwar Jalapuri, Bekali Utsahi, GM Ahmad also popular as Khamakha, Hussain Khan popular as Jhanjhat, Javed Akhtar, Malikzada Manzoor Ahmad, Meraj Faizabadi, Naem Akhtar Burhanpuri, Shahryar, Waseem Barelvi and Tajinder Ada.

It was a packed house and the mushaira lovers remained glued to their seats as they enjoyed the poetry session every bit. Sounds of ‘Wah! Wah!’, ‘Irshaad’ and ‘mukarrar’ emerged from the auditorium at regular intervals. For those who couldn’t get any space inside the hall, there was a screen installed outside so that they could enjoy the mushaira. The poetry recitation was a mixture of thought provoking and rib tickling lines.

Full report here Times of India 

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

Stop interfering, Aamir: Javed Akhtar

It was a meeting meant to sort out the imbroglio between film producers and lyricists-writers, the latter’s forum represented by Javed Akhtar .

But matters came to a sticky head when Aamir Khan, siding with film producers, suggested that lyricists don’t really contribute much to the impact of a song. It was just too much for the legendary poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar to take, and it soon became a war of words between him and Aamir.

Says an eyewitness, “Aamir made it clear that he felt a song becomes a hit because it is picturised on a big star. To this Javed saab asked him, ‘Your first big song was Papa kehte hain. Did it make you a star or did you make that a song run?’” Temperatures in the room started rising, but Aamir stuck to his stand.

“When Aamir again insisted that it’s the star who makes a bigger contribution to a song becoming a hit, Javed retorted, ‘Your so-called contribution is nothing but interference. We lyricists would be eternally grateful if you keep your so-called contribution to yourself. We manage to do good work not because of, but in spite of your contribution.' "

Full report here Times of India

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Publishing industry growing at 30 pc every year

Describing country's publishing industry as vibrant, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee said it is growing at an impressive rate of 30 per cent every year, according to a PTI report.

"We come out with about 70,000 titles every year," Mukherjee said at a reception he hosted at India House in the honour of leading writers and publishers on the eve of the three-day London Book Fair, which focuses on India at the Earl's Court.
Prominent among those present on the occassion included economist and author Lord Meghnad Desai, playwright, actor and filmamaker Girish Karnad, Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi and her lyricist husband Javed Akhtar, Information Technology czar and author Nandan Nilekani and author Vikram Seth.

The High Commissioner noted that 30 per cent of titles brought out in India were in English and the rest in Indian languages. "There is tremendous amount of talent in our country," he said.
Over 50 authors and 90 publishing houses from India are participating in the Book Fair.

Mukherjee, while launching a Amit Gupta's latest book Indian by Choice, said "it was a personal pleasure to launch Amit's book as he was my deputy when I was heading the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in New Delhi."

In search of India

The theme of the London book fair this year is Indian writing, writes Amit Chaudhuri in the Guardian. Vikram Seth, Amartya Sen, William Dalrymple and other writers in frequent circulation in this country are going to be joined by writers - K Satchidanandan, Javed Akhtar - distinguished or popular on their own terrain but less known here, for five days of discussions and celebrations. Something like this happened in 2006 to the Frankfurt book fair, when planeloads of Indian novelists and poets descended on the Intercontinental Hotel, waved to each other over breakfast, and then read from their work to courteous audiences in the afternoons and evenings.

The theme then, too, was India; and the "idea of India" acted as a catalyst to a process that might have already begun, but received, at that moment, a recognisable impetus - the confluence, in one place, of literary and intellectual dialogue with what is basically business activity, each bringing magic and movement to the other. The India-themed Paris book fair followed swiftly.

For full story, clIck here

FTII hosts seminar on literature and cinema

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), in association with the Film Writers Association (FWA), Mumbai, will organise a seminar ‘Cinema and literature: The question of adaptation’ on adaptation of literature in Hindi cinema on March 21, Saturday.

The seminar will deliberate on various facets of cinema and literature in sessions titled ‘turning novels into films,’ ‘folklore for folk cinema,’ ‘making long films of short stories,’ ‘mythology and Indian films’ and ‘drama in our films.’

Prominent film-personalities including Gulzar, Javed Akthar, Kamal Hassan, Govind Nihlani, Dr Jabbar Patel, Kamlesh Pandey, Vishnu Khare, Shama Zaidi, Vishal Bharadwaj and Anurag Kashyap will participate in the deliberations.

Report on the seminar in The Indian Express

India focus at London Book Fair

More than 45 leading Indian writers, translators, critics, academics and industry professionals will be coming to the London Book Fair, to take part in a varied programme of events based on themes of cultural and linguistic diversity, designed to enable better market understanding through contemporary literature between India and the UK. This is the first time such a wide variety of authors has been showcased in this way, and the event will bring together the largest representation of Indian writers ever assembled at a publishing trade show.

Writers including Javed Akhtar, Amit Chaudhuri, Namdeo Dhasal, Ramachandra Guha, Jaishree Misra, Daljit Nagra, Anita Nair, Bhalchandra Nemade, Nandan Nilekani, K Satchidanandan, Shankar, Vikram Seth and Pavan K Varma will take part in a series of ten seminars and readings at the Fair, as well as additional events in London and around the UK. These events will highlight the richness and diversity of contemporary Indian literature, with over 15 Indian languages represented across a total of 40 events.

The British Council is hosting the following seminars:
- Imagining India: the world of fiction
- Home and the world
- Literature of identity
- Literature of conflict
- India writes
- India translated
- Literature of the cinema
- Bestsellers and popular writing
- Literature of ideas
- Battle for the Indian reader

Susie Nicklin, Director Literature, British Council, said: “Many people in the UK feel they know India and her writers, which is not surprising given their justified success in this country; many readers in India feel they are au fait with British contemporary literature. In fact, all of us will benefit hugely from this opportunity — a major part of an ongoing British Council programme – to discover more about each other’s literary cultures and societies.”