Lyricist-scriptwriter Javed Akhtar has picked a bone with veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah for his comment that actor Rajesh Khanna was responsible for bringing “mediocrity” in Bollywood in the 1970s.
Last month, in an interview to a daily newspaper, Naseeruddin Shah blamed the late actor for the sorry state of things in Bollywood. Expressing his displeasure over the way things are in the industry, he attributed the current state to actor Rajesh Khanna. “Rajesh Khanna was a very limited actor and wasn’t the most alert person. His taste ruling the industry is what made the industry less content-driven”.
This comment hasn’t gone down well with the Bollywood fraternity. Javed Akhtar, in a Poetry festival in Bangalore, said, “It’s simple – Naseeruddin Shah does not like successful people. I have never heard him praise any successful person. He criticises Dilip Kumar; he criticises Amitabh Bachchan…”.
Earlier, script writer Salim Khan had condemned Shah’s statements saying his comments were a reflection of his own “frustration and bitterness.” Rajesh Khanna’s daughter Twinkle Khanna had also taken offence to the statement. She said that Shah shouldn’t have directed his comments to a dead man who cannot defend himself.
In the interview, Shah had also expressed his disappointment over the current generation of actors. “They only claim to love cinema. But their choice of films don’t validate their statement”, he said.
Rajesh Khanna was known as the Bollywood’s first superstar. He died of cancer in July 2012 at the age of 69. Some of his notable films are Baharon Ke Sapne, Aradhana, Haathi Mere Saathi, Amar Prem and Aap Ki Kasam among others. He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same 14 times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Naseeruddin Shah had reportedly apologised for his statements to both Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar.
Feature Image courtesy: Zeenews