Writers should be able to write what they want, says Javed

Lyricist and Urdu poet Javed Akhtar on Sunday said writers should have the freedom to write about anything they want without fear of being judged.

“If you feel like saying something, then you must say it. Thinking that certain things are correct and others are wrong is not right. Who is anybody to create a poster about what has to be written? A writer should write what he wants to write,” Akhtar said.

The lyricist was in conversation at a session titled “The Poetic Genealogy” at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival here.

The 71-year-old writer who has penned numerous film scripts like “Lakshya” and “Mr India” among others commended his two children - filmmaker Zoya and actor Farhan, for their poetic skills. “Both my children Zoya and Farhan write poetry in English. They are good poets,” he said.

The poet spoke against “senseless” lyrics stating that film songs should have some aesthetics and sensibility. “You can write light hearted songs, but there should be sense in them. They don’t have to be poetic, but they can be written with sensibility and aesthetics,” he said.