Javed Akhtar strongly reacts to #BoycottBollywood trend: 'We are a nation of movie bhakts, respect Indian films'

Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar reacted to the social media trend of #BoycottBollywood and said that we must 'respect Indian films'. At the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), the veteran screenwriter termed Indian cinema 'one of the strongest goodwill ambassadors in the world'.

Javed Akhtar: Respect Indian films

"We love movies, whether they are from the south, north or east. We are a nation of 'Movie Bhakts'. We have strong affection towards films, it is in our DNA. Stories are in our DNA. We have had songs in our films, it's nothing new. It was not invented by the Hindi film industry," he said.

"So basically we should respect Indian films, an average Indian film is released across more than 135 nations. Indian cinema is one of the strongest goodwill ambassadors in the world," Akhtar told reporters, as quoted by PTI.

Javed Akhtar's comments come days after he said filmmakers need to 'trust' the CBFC amid reports that the film certification body had asked the makers of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan' to make changes to the upcoming film.

'People around the world know Indian actors more than Hollywood stars'

The lyricist also said people around the world know Indian stars, sometimes more than Hollywood stars.

"If you go to Germany and tell someone that you are an Indian, their first question would be: Do you know Shah Rukh Khan? Our people and our films are spreading so much goodwill for India in the world," he said.

(With agency inputs)