Javed Akhtar on being called ‘Kaafir’ and ‘Jihadi’: ‘I would rather go to hell, than Pakistan’

At a book launch event in Mumbai, Bollywood’s well-known writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar gave a sharp and emotional response to the hate he often receives from different groups online. Speaking candidly to the audience, Akhtar explained how he regularly faces anger and abuse, not from just one side, but from both Hindu and Muslim communities. “People from both sides abuse me. One calls me a Kaafir (infidel), saying that I will go to hell. The other calls me a Jihadi, asking me to go to Pakistan. So, If I only have a choice of going either to hell or to Pakistan, I would rather like to go to hell,” The crowd reacted with laughter and applause, but his words clearly reflected frustration This comes amid the rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack and India’s response through Operation Sindoor.‘It’s not one-sided’Akhtar further said, “People from both sides abuse me. It’s not one-sided. I would be very ungrateful if I don’t admit that there are people who also appreciate me. Many support me, praise me, and encourage me.”Over the years, Akhtar has accepted that attacks from extremists have become part of his everyday life, adding “But this is also true that the extremists from this side abuse me so do the extremists from the other side. This is the reality. If even one of them stops abusing me, I will call it an anomaly and think that I must have made a mistake.”‘Take a solid step now’Just a few weeks before this book launch, Javed had attended an event on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, where he made a hard-hitting speech where he didn’t hold back on his views about Pakistan and terrorism. “A few crackers on the border will not work. Take a solid step now. Do something so that the mad army chief there (Pakistan), no sensible person can make a speech like he does.”He also paid tribute to three victims from Maharashtra who were killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, “Sanjay Lele, Atul Mone & Hemant Joshi from this state were looking for a moment of peace and happiness... They were mercilessly shot there. We should not forget this.”