Javed Akhtar, the celebrated lyricist and storyteller, captivated the audience at a recent FICCI event in Kolkata with an intriguing revelation. Despite his well-established reputation for crafting timeless songs spanning multiple decades, Javed Akhtar amazed attendees by recounting an extraordinary experience. He shared a remarkable incident when he composed a song under 10 minutes and this impromptu creation, against all odds, went on to achieve iconic status.
“I have written a handful of songs in under 10 minutes. After Silsila, Yash Chopra’s fourth assistant came to me and requested that I write the songs for his film. Of course, he didn’t have any money, but I agreed. I wrote the songs, but because I was working for free, one remained incomplete. That poor guy would come over every evening and ask for the song, and in those days, I used to drink,” he revealed.
Javed Akhtar elaborated on how he stretched the work till the last day of the submission and when Yash Chopra came to his house they again sat down to drink. Javed Akhtar mentioned that he kept delaying the song, but when Yash Chopra asked again, he decided to finish it. It was past midnight, and after consuming several drinks, Akhtar asked for a piece of paper and a pen. He then wrote the song in nine minutes while Yash Chopra kept an eye on the time because he had to catch the last train. The song Akhtar wrote in that short time was Tum Ko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya after consuming his “eighth or ninth peg.”
Javed’s response elicited a burst of laughter from the audience present at the event. Javed Akhtar’s impressive body of work includes enchanting compositions such as Shaam, Kal Ho Na Ho, Do Pal, and Jashn-e-Bahara among others, solidifying his position as one of the industry’s most respected and renowned lyricists. His ability to weave captivating tales through his lyrics is a testament to his exceptional talent.
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