{"id":63988,"date":"2025-10-11T06:27:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T06:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/11\/javed-akhtar-critiques-film-censorship-double-standards\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T06:27:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T06:27:54","slug":"javed-akhtar-critiques-film-censorship-double-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/11\/javed-akhtar-critiques-film-censorship-double-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"Javed Akhtar Critiques Film Censorship Double Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar<\/strong> recently condemned the double standards in India’s film censorship while speaking at the Anantrang Mental Health Cultural Festival in Mumbai on Friday. He stressed that films depicting societal realities often encounter hurdles, whereas those laden with vulgarity and regressive values slip through the regulatory net.<\/p>\n

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Akhtar expressed his firm belief that audience choices significantly influence which films achieve success. He said, \u201cIn this country, vulgarity will still be passed by the film boards. They don\u2019t realise that these are wrong values \u2014 a male chauvinistic view that humiliates women. But what will not be passed is something that shows the mirror to society.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This notable statement underlines his ongoing concern regarding the moral and ethical standards in the film industry. He maintained that films serve as reflections of society, implying they cannot be held solely accountable for societal issues. \u201cA film is a window into society through which you peek. Closing the window will not fix what is happening outside,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

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Hyper-Masculinity and its Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Akhtar also discussed the detrimental effects of hyper-masculine portrayals in cinema, particularly on mental health. He called attention to how such films gain traction due to societal acceptance. \u201cIt is because of the mental health of men that such films are being made. If men\u2019s mental health improves, such films won\u2019t be made \u2014 and even if they are, they won\u2019t work,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

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He equated the audience\u2019s influence in the film industry to faith, declaring, \u201cIn show business, the audience is god. A bad audience makes a bad film successful.\u201d This statement serves as a clarion call for audiences to reconsider the films they support.<\/p>\n

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Declining Taste in Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Addressing the issues related to music in films, Akhtar lamented the surge of vulgar and suggestive songs. He shared how he consistently shied away from such work throughout his career. Reflecting on the 1980s, he noted, \u201cDuring the 80s, many songs had double meanings, but I refused to write them. I\u2019m not sad that people recorded them \u2014 I\u2019m sad that those songs became superhits. That shows it\u2019s the audience that shapes the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Akhtar referenced the infamous song \u201cCholi Ke Peeche Kya Hai,\u201d critically examining how parents take pride in their daughters dancing to such lyrics, highlighting the moral decline in contemporary society. \u201cIf these are the values of society, what can you expect from films and songs? Society is responsible \u2014 cinema is only a manifestation,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n

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Admiration for \u2018Saiyaara\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

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While Akhtar’s criticisms define much of his discourse, he also took a moment to commend the new film \u2018Saiyaara\u2019 directed by Mohit Suri. He praised its calming and soulful music, noting, \u201cThe music of Saiyaara has a stillness, an old charm. Today, music has become so frantic that percussion drowns the voice. When something soothing comes, it feels like shade in harsh sunlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Acceptance of Sadness through Art<\/strong><\/p>\n

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On a lighter note, when questioned about the impact of sad songs on mental health, Akhtar offered a philosophical perspective. \u201cIt\u2019s not good to deny sadness; otherwise, it will resurface elsewhere. Earlier, every film had one or two sad songs, but now they\u2019ve vanished because we believe \u2018achhe din aa gaye hain\u2019. This denial of sadness is unhealthy \u2014 accept it, cry if you must. That\u2019s what keeps the mind healthy,\u201d he stated with a smile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Javed Akhtar criticizes India’s film censorship, highlighting the success of vulgar films over those that reflect societal truths during the Anantrang Mental Health Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63988","post","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earlypostdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}