Shabana Azmi's Husband Javed Akhtar Recalls Monetary Struggle In Mumbai, 'Managed To Survive..'

Shabana Azmi's husband and famous screenwriter Javed Akhtar came to Bombay, now Mumbai, in 1964. He rose to fame in 1970.

Renowned lyricist and screenwriter, Javed Akhtar hardly needs an introduction. While Javed is now a well-known figure in the Bollywood industry, do you know that he spent six years struggling to establish his foothold in the industry? He came to Mumbai, then Bombay, in 1964. In a recent conversation, Javed recalled his monetary struggles at that time. He discussed how he survived on occasional ghost-writing jobs and going hungry for days.

Javed Akhtar opens up about his struggles after he came to Bombay

Recently, Shabana Azmi's husband, Javed Akhtar, sat for a candid conversation with Let’s Talk with Devna G. During the conversation, the veteran screenwriter shared that he had decided to come to Bombay while he was in college. He wanted to assist either Raj Kapoor or Guru Dutt. He mentioned that neither plan of his worked out. Javed added that after he reached Bombay, within six or seven days Guru Dutt died. He couldn’t work with Raj Kapoor as well; for five years, he didn’t see RK Studio.

For the uninitiated, Javed arrived in Bombay at 19 and had only 27 naya paisa in his pocket. With no major break coming his way, the veteran lyricist took up whatever writing work he could find, including ghostwriting for films. Recalling the days, Javed said:

"I would sometimes get ghostwriting work — maybe 10 scenes for a comedian in a film. They would call me and pay me Rs 100 per scene. If there were 10 scenes, I would get Rs 1,000. That is how I somehow managed to survive. And thanks to my friends, who took care of me."

In the same conversation, Javed revealed that his real break came only in January 1970. The six years from 1964 to 1970 were on and off for Javed. During this period, Javed sometimes had shelter, and sometimes he didn’t. In fact, there were days when he spent time feeling hungry. There was no other plan to survive. It was a hand-to-mouth condition for Javed. Recalling the tough phase, Javed shared:

"Those six years were on and off. Sometimes I had shelter, sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I could get food, sometimes I could not. But there was no Plan B. Sometimes, when I woke up, I had no idea where I would get lunch or dinner from, or whether I would get anything at all. Quite often, I didn’t. Quite often, I find it amusing that the thought of suicide never crossed my mind. I may have rejected it, but the thought itself never occurred to me. Never. There was no home I could go back to. I had been thrown out of the house."

Further, in the conversation, Javed shared knowing a dargah in Mahim where people gave food to those who sat outside. There were times when he himself went hungry for two or three days but never thought of going there to ask for food. He explained that it was not because he was against the idea but the thought simply never came to him. Today, when he passes that dargah, he sometimes thinks that he could have sat there and eaten when he was hungry. 

The veteran screenwriter recalled the time when he wrote about 10 scenes for a producer, who promised to pay him Rs. 1,000 the next day. However, when he went to collect the money the next day, he found the producer’s office locked. At that time, he had only two options left. One was to spend the money on a bus ticket and walk the remaining distance home, or buy something to eat. He chose to buy chana because he was hungry and then walked from Dadar towards Bandra.

What are your thoughts on Javed Akhtar's revelation? Let us know.

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