Veteran Bollywood screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar recently attended the 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, earlier known as Aurangabad. During his speech, he mentioned that people may come and go but the country's culture will always remain the same, and it cannot be changed by them.
Akhtar has been quite vocal about his dissent towards the ruling BJP government, and in an apparent dig at the party, he stated, "The soul of India is immortal and any temporary turn of events cannot destroy it".
"A few elections and a handful of people cannot change the country's culture, which is the true spirit of Hindustan," he added.
Akhtar also spoke about how language is an important part of India's culture, but people who "did not understand the importance of language are making decisions about it".
The veteran screenwriter went on to highlight how today's characters in films and shows are nowhere related to the political themes or social issues, but rather, they are more about personal stories and experiences.
He cited the example that in the 60s and 70s, the heroes of Hindi films were shown to have come from humble backgrounds, with them being labourers, teachers, taxi drivers or rickshaw pullers. "Nowadays the picture has changed. Today's heroes belong to rich families. They have nothing to do with the political and social situation of the country," he stated.
The 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was also graced by filmmakers Jayprad Desai, R Balki, Anubhav Sinha, and others.
