Javed Akhtar: “Perfection is an illusion, but honesty — that’s what keeps you alive.”

There is a certain stillness that Javed Akhtar carries that doesn't come from contentment, but from clarity. While most of us chase legacy and labels, he seems almost amused by the very idea of either. On a busy Monday noon, Akhtar sat down for a conversation with IndiaToday.in right before addressing a swarm of young people about the art of songwriting. Dressed in his usual beige kurta-pyjama, a bandhgala jacket and a shawl casually drapped, he looked the same as ever, but it was his ideas, sharp and unfiltered, that made him sound like any 30-year-old still restless to explore more, to curate new dreams. Except, Akhtar is 80.

He begins by politely asking the crowd to disburse and create less noi

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