Javed Akhtar once said he slept under trees like ‘homeless, jobless people’ when he first came to Mumbai

Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar was not very well-to-do when he first came to Mumbai in the 1960s. He once spoke about how he was ‘homeless’ at the time and would sleep ‘wherever (he) fancied’, including under trees.

On Javed’s 77th birthday, here is a look back at his struggling days and how he rose above his circumstances to become a legend in the film industry.

In an interview with Hindustan Times in 2006, Javed talked about living in different cities but said that he ‘really came alive’ in Mumbai. “I slept wherever I fancied – sometimes in some verandah, sometimes in some corridor, sometimes under some tree where several homeless, jobless people like me also lived,” he said. “At last, in November 1969, I got some work which in film parlance is called a ‘break’,” he added.

Javed, along with his partner Salim Khan, wrote the screenplay of several blockbusters in the 1970s and 80s, including Seeta Aur Geeta, Deewar, Sholay, Don and Mr India. However, they parted ways in 1982 due to personal differences.

Javed also won multiple National Awards, including Best Lyricist three years in a row – Saaz in 1997, Border in 1998 and Godmother in 1999. He received a Padma Shri as well as a Padma Bhushan, two of India’s highest civilian honours.

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In 2020, Javed recalled his journey and the day he first arrived in Mumbai. He tweeted, “It was 4th of October 1964 when I came to Bombay. This 56-year-long journey had many zig-zag roads, many roller coasters, ups and downs, but the grand total is heavily in my favour. Thank you Mumbai, thank you film industry, thank you life. You all have been too kind.”