Stories behind the songs

Nonika Singh

In his latest poem Naya Huqamnaama (The New Ordinance) the prolific and gifted poet Javed Akhtar writes Agar lehron ko hai daryan mein rehana to unko hoga chup chaap behna. But who can silence Akhtar? His vocal best at the Jaipur Literature Festival on the penultimate day of the five day long literary extravaganza, of course, he makes no controversial statement, politically correct or otherwise. His potent poem with its hidden meanings and layers in a way says it all.

But in an interactive session he traces the rise of new Indian woman in the films, a far cry from the Main Chup Rahoongi prototype. From the angry young man of Indian cinema who too was a response to the times that we lived he moves on to this real onscreen woman. And he credits Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi for bucking the sati savitri nari trend. But whether the cigarette smoking woman who sleeps with many men is the right idea of womanhood he has reservations. Even at the risk of sounding like a proud father he instead singles out his daughter Zoya Akhtar’s films and characters like that of Katrina Kaif in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Priyanka Chopra in Dil Dhadakne Do as the real women of today. More films such as PINK, Piku and of course like Kapoor & Sons with its gay twist conceiving which was unimaginable in eighties or nineties come in for fulsome praise. Interestingly for the changing avatar of women in films and the more refreshing content he credits audiences for they are a big influence on the kind of cinema that is made. However, whether films without songs, is a good idea, again he isn’t too sure. Since India has a tradition of telling stories through songs, he thinks films in the great tradition of classics like Pyasa, Guide and Shree 420 can capitalise on the beauty of songs and music. And this he is not saying for he is a lyricist.

But then Javed isn’t merely a poet. A script writer who has given us hits like Dewaar he is someone who knows the pulse of the times. So speaking like a seasoned commentator he marvels at those who see westernization as the biggest ill ailing our society. “If our diagnosis of our nation’s sickness itself is wrong how can we find a cure.” And he hits the nail on the head when he deems that segregation between sexes is what leads to abominable acts such as molestation and rape. “When the only girl that the boy has ever spoken to is his sister how can he ever understand her feelings, how can he fathom that girls are more than a body?” Talking in particular of the Nirbhaya gang rape he also speaks of the economic divide that makes some of us so angry and disenfranchised.

But fret not women, he believes the future belongs to them not just on the screen where they are getting meatier and more believable parts but in real life too where they are on the go with a spring in their step. In comparison, he states, “men seem tired and jaded.” But not our Akhtar sahib who can hold audiences in a spell both with his poetic musings and wisdom. To say that men like him they make no more might seem going a trifle overboard, but ask his fans who turn up in hundreds at the festival venue and few would disagree that such poetic minds come only once in a while .