12 Facts About Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar was born on 17 January 1945 and is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet.

Javed Akhtar went on to write the films Deewar and Sholay, both released in 1975; they earned a cult following, and had a significant impact in popular culture.

Javed Akhtar later earned praise for his work as a lyricist, winning the National Film Award for Best Lyrics five times and the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist eight times.

Javed Akhtar's paternal grandfather Muztar Khairabadi was a poet as was his grandfather's elder brother, Bismil Khairabadi, while his great great grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, was a religious scholar of Islam who declared the Jihad in 1857 against the English for religious reasons.

Javed Akhtar was given the official name of Javed since it was the closest to the word jadoo.

Javed Akhtar spent most of his childhood and was schooled in Lucknow.

Javed Akhtar stated in an interview that one day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow, Aashirwad.

Javed Akhtar was nominated to the Parliament upper house Rajya Sabha on 16 November 2009.

Javed Akhtar married Shabana Azmi, the daughter of Urdu poet, Kaifi Azmi and later divorced Irani.

Javed Akhtar's uncle, Ansar Harvani, was a member of the Indian independence movement and an elected Member of Parliament.

Javed Akhtar's aunt, Hamida Salim, was an Indian author, economist and educator as well.

Javed Akhtar was awarded the civilian honour of Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1999, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2007.