At a book launch event in Mumbai, legendary Bollywood lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar shared how he has faced backlash from both Hindu and Muslim extremists over the years due to his outspoken nature.
Akhtar remarked, "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. But this is also true: the extremists from this side also abuse me, and the extremists from that side also abuse. This is the reality," he said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
“One group calls me a Kaafir, telling me I’ll go to hell. The other calls me a Jihadi, asking me to go to Pakistan. If my only choices are hell or Pakistan, I’d rather choose hell,” he added.
Recently, Akhtar had urged the central government to take strict action against Pakistan for their alleged connections to the Pahalgam attack.
Akhtar served as a Rajya Sabha member from March 22, 2010 to March 21, 2016. He was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament by the then President Pratibha Patil.