Screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar and director Mani Ratnam are perhaps some of the most celebrated names in the Indian film industry. Recently, Javed Akhtar attended an event organised to honour Mani Ratman for his contribution to cinema. While speaking at the event for News 18, Javed Akhtar praised Mani Ratnam and said that the director humbled the arrogant Hindi film industry that was ‘convinced of its superiority’. The veteran writer said, “Bombay film industry people have been very complacent and sure of ourselves. We used to be completely convinced of our superiority. And then, a director came from Tamil Nadu, he slapped us hard on our face with the kind of work we had never seen.”
The 78-year-old described Mani Ratnam’s work as “unprecedented” and said, “We were very sure of our technical superiority. He made us feel like illiterate children.” The veteran writer who is credited with writing the screenplay of iconic films like Sholay, Deewar, and Don said that it is very hard in the film industry to sustain success like Mani Ratnam has done. He said, “It won’t be politically right but I can give you names of ten directors who have made a number of superhits but nobody remembers them. In the film industry, it is not only success that sustains you, success with some exceptional work, and that is by Mani Ratnam.”
Mani Ratnam also returned the compliments and said, “Javed saab, I think we need you back writing the screenplay. It will help us a lot. Especially in these times, when we are talking of just numbers, I think we need Javed saab.” Mani Ratnam further joked that he will make the next film when Javed Akhtar writes a screenplay for him.
Javed Akhtar recently stirred controversy when he indirectly criticised Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal for its sexist and violent content. At the 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival, the Bollywood great referred to a scene from the flick and said, “If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe or if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman, and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous.”
In response, Animal’s official X page noted, “Writer of your calibre cannot understand the betrayal of a lover (Between Zoya & Ranvijay) then all your art form is big FALSE & If a woman (betrayed and fooled by a man in the name of love) would have said “lick my shoe” then you guys would have celebrated it by calling it feminism. Let love be free from the politics of gender. Let’s just call them lovers. LOVER cheated and lied. LOVER said lick my shoe. Period @Javedakhtarjadu.”
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