Javed Akhtar on his Mumbai struggle: ‘Sometimes I had shelter, other times I didn’t’
29 August,2026 07:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Javed Akhtar recalls arriving in Mumbai at 19 with dreams of assisting Raj Kapoor or Guru Dutt. With little money, uncertain meals and no plan B, the young writer survived years of struggle before finding his breakthrough
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Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar‘s journey in Hindi cinema did not begin with a red carpet or a guaranteed break. When the veteran writer arrived in Mumbai in 1964, he was just 19 and had his sights set on becoming a filmmaker. What followed was nearly six years of uncertainty, odd writing assignments and days when even his next meal was uncertain. Yet, through it all, Akhtar said he never considered giving up on his dream.
Javed Akhtar recalls struggle in Mumbai
Speaking on Let’s Talk with Devna G, Akhtar recalled that he had already decided while he was in college that Bombay would be his destination after graduation. His plan was simple, assist either Raj Kapoor or Guru Dutt and learn filmmaking from the masters.
“I was very clear that after graduation, I would go to Bombay and assist a big director. I had a very short list of choices – Raj Kapoor or Guru Dutt,” he recalled.
Neither plan materialised. Guru Dutt passed away shortly after Akhtar reached Bombay, while it took him years before he even saw RK Studio. With no steady work, Akhtar survived by taking up small writing assignments, including ghostwriting portions of films.
“I would sometimes get ghostwriting work, maybe 10 scenes for a comedian in a film. They would call me and pay me Rs 100 per scene,” he said.
Those years could be brutal. “Sometimes I had shelter, sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I could get food, sometimes I could not. But there was no Plan B,” Akhtar said. He was deprived of food, shelter and clothing during his struggle days.
He recalled waking up without knowing whether lunch or dinner would be available that day. Despite the circumstances, he said suicide never entered his thoughts.
“Quite often, I find it amusing that the thought of suicide never crossed my mind. I may have rejected it, but the thought itself never occurred to me. Never,” he said.
Javed Akhtar’s journey
One incident from those years particularly stayed with Akhtar. After completing around 10 scenes for a producer, he was promised Rs 1,000. When he reached the office in Dadar the following day, it was locked.
With only 20 naya paisa left, he had to choose between buying a bus ticket towards Bandra or getting something to eat. He chose the latter, bought chana and walked home.
While passing Kohinoor Mill, Akhtar imagined a future in which he would drive past the same spot in his own car. Looking back, he described that confidence with humour.
“That faith was stupidity. It was ignorance. It was not some great thing that I was farsighted about. It was stupidity that helped me. That stupidity saved me.”
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