On Mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist series, Javed Akhtar made a shocking revelation, stating that despite all the hardships, the thought of committing suicide never occurred to him
Javed Akhtar's exclusive interview on Sit With Hitlist
In the 2024 docu-series Angry Young Men, veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar had mentioned being deprived of food, sleep, and clothes during his struggle days in Mumbai. On Mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist series, he discussed the same at length and also made a shocking revelation, stating that despite all the hardships, the thought of committing suicide never occurred to him.
Javed Akhtar never had suicidal thoughts
Recalling his struggle days in the maximum city, Javed shared, “Maine bahut bure din dekhe hain (I have seen very bad days).” He elaborated, “I had nothing. I used to wake up thinking where I’d have my next meal. Breakfast was not on the list of comforts. I didn’t even know where I’d sleep. It didn’t happen for weeks or months, but a couple of years. When I look back in introspection, this thought of committing suicide never came to me.”
He further added how it never occurred to him that instead of starving for over 2 days, he could have easily relished a meal outside the Mahim Dargah, where devotees would sometimes donate a large sum of money to feed the hungry and poor. He is glad that things have changed for him, and he can share his life experiences. “I could have died there. I had such high self-esteem, the idea was — it's just a matter of time. I was so sure of that.”
Javed Akhtar on being deprived of food
In the Angry Young Men docu-series, the Sholay screenwriter got teary-eyed and said, “If you have been deprived of food or sleep in your life, it leaves a deep mark on you that you will never forget. When I go to a five-star hotel with large sprawling double beds, and sometimes when I am lying there, I remember coming to Bombay in the third-class train compartment. It used to take two days. There was no place to sit in the compartment, not even a place to lean against, and I was deprived of sleep, and how tired I was, if only I had a little stretch of that double bed.
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