A video of veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has kicked up a storm online, especially after singer Lucky Ali called him out for his comments about Hindus and Muslims.
The clip, everywhere on social media right now, shows Akhtar telling Hindus, “Don’t become like Muslims,” which set off a whole new round of debate.
Lucky Ali Vs Javed Akhtar
In the video, Javed Akhtar’s speaking at a public event, talking about democracy and freedom of expression. His remarks have gone viral, and people online are arguing back and forth about religious tolerance.
Lucky Ali didn’t stay quiet. He jumped into the conversation, replying to an X post that shared Akhtar’s video. The original post didn’t hold back, either, calling Akhtar a “shameless bigot masquerading as a wise man” and even saying the West Bengal Urdu Academy did the right thing by cancelling their invitation to him.
Javed Akhtar Faces Backlash
Lucky Ali’s response? “Don’t become like Javed Akhtar, never original and ugly as fack(sic).” Short, blunt, and not exactly subtle.
During his speech, Akhtar brought up the classic 1975 film ‘Sholay.’ He described a scene where Dharmendra hides behind a statue of Shiva and pretends to be the deity, causing Hema Malini to believe that Shiva is speaking to her.
Akhtar said there’s no way a scene like that could be written today. “Were there no Hindus in 1975? Were there no religious people? They were,” he pointed out.
He didn’t stop there. He doubled down at the same event, recalling how he told filmmaker Raju Hirani and a crowd in Pune, “Don’t become like Muslims. Make them like yourself. You are becoming like Muslims. It’s a tragedy.” He went on to ask what makes India different and why democracy works here, hinting it’s because people are open to many truths.
Javed Akhtar was supposed to be the chief guest at a Kolkata festival hosted by the West Bengal Urdu Academy, but after protests from Muslim groups and what seemed like government pressure, the event was called off in September 2025.
