Hyderabad: Ace screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar responded sharply to a social media user who labelled him "son of gaddar (traitor)", asserting that his family has been part of India's freedom movement since the Revolt of 1857.
In a spirited comeback to the criticism over his remarks on US President Joe Biden's re-election prospects, Akhtar wrote on X, "I am a proud Indian citizen and will remain so till my last breath, but I share one commonality with Joe Biden. Both of us have an equal chance of becoming the next president of USA (sic)."
The user's comment, which accused Akhtar of dividing the nation along religious lines, provoked the veteran's ire. He retorted on Saturday, "It is difficult to decide whether you are totally ignorant or a complete idiot." Akhtar continued his scathing reply and wrote, "From 1857 my family has been involved with freedom movement n has gone to jails and Kala paani when most probably your baap dadas were licking the boots of Angrez sarkar (sic)."
Akhtar, aged 79, recipient of Padma Shri (1999) and Padma Bhushan (2007), hails from a lineage steeped in activism. His father, lyricist-poet Jan Nisar Akhtar, was a prominent figure in the Progressive Writers' Movement during pre-Partition India. His great-great-grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, was a valiant freedom fighter sentenced to life in the notorious Cellular Jail on the Andaman Islands, where he passed away in 1864.
On the same thread on X, Akhtar also opined that former US First Lady Michelle Obama could "save USA" from Donald Trump, Biden's Republican rival in the upcoming elections. ""I have expressed my opinion quite a few times in the past and still stand by it that the only one who can save USA from Trump is Michelle Obama (sic)"
Akhtar is known for his outspoken views across various subjects, consistently lending his voice to matters close to his heart.
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