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Legendary lyricist Javed Akhtar is known for his iconic scripts in collaboration with Salim Khan, apart from his beautiful lyrics for songs which he continues till date. Akhtar is also always known for being very vocal about his opinions and displaying his life and persona with honesty. In a recent interview, he opened up on his drinking problem when he turned into an alcoholic.Earlier, even Shabana Azmi had spoken about it and revealed how the writer quit alcohol.
In a latest interview on ‘Be A Man, Yaar’ podcast, Akhtar revealed, “Maybe there were bottled-up emotions, the anger, the bitterness. That is why after drinking I would become quite offensive, which I’m otherwise not, nor ever was. This would never happen in my sober moments. But peeke koi ek dusra devil nikal aata tha (when I was drunk, a devil would emerge from within me).”
He further added, “The few good things I have done in life included quitting alcohol. July 31, 1991, was the last time I drank. I never took a sip of champagne after that. Not even during celebratory cheers,” he said. When asked what he would tell his younger self, Javed Akhtar replied, “I would tell him that the 20-25 years he drank alcohol, he shouldn’t do that.”
A while ago, Shabana Azmi had spoken about it during a chat with Arbaaz Khan for ‘The Invincibles’. She said, “He knew that if I go on like this, I won’t live for long and I won’t be able to do my work creatively… We were in a flat in London. He was stinking of alcohol and I said ‘Oh my god, this is going to be one of those trips. Very quietly he told me ‘Make me some breakfast’. He had breakfast and after that, he told me, ‘I am not going to drink anymore’.”
In a latest interview on ‘Be A Man, Yaar’ podcast, Akhtar revealed, “Maybe there were bottled-up emotions, the anger, the bitterness. That is why after drinking I would become quite offensive, which I’m otherwise not, nor ever was. This would never happen in my sober moments. But peeke koi ek dusra devil nikal aata tha (when I was drunk, a devil would emerge from within me).”
He further added, “The few good things I have done in life included quitting alcohol. July 31, 1991, was the last time I drank. I never took a sip of champagne after that. Not even during celebratory cheers,” he said. When asked what he would tell his younger self, Javed Akhtar replied, “I would tell him that the 20-25 years he drank alcohol, he shouldn’t do that.”
A while ago, Shabana Azmi had spoken about it during a chat with Arbaaz Khan for ‘The Invincibles’. She said, “He knew that if I go on like this, I won’t live for long and I won’t be able to do my work creatively… We were in a flat in London. He was stinking of alcohol and I said ‘Oh my god, this is going to be one of those trips. Very quietly he told me ‘Make me some breakfast’. He had breakfast and after that, he told me, ‘I am not going to drink anymore’.”
