SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday criticised lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar for dismissing music maestro A R Rahman’s concerns over the alleged communalisation of Bollywood, saying such remarks contradict the lived realities of Indian Muslims.
In a post on X, Mufti said that Akhtar’s comments undermine the shared experiences of Indian Muslims, including those within his own family.
“When Javed Akhtar dismisses A R Rahman’s concerns about the growing communalisation of Bollywood, he contradicts lived and shared realities of Indian Muslims, including those of his own wife Shabana Azmi, who has openly spoken about being denied housing for being a Muslim in a cosmopolitan city like Bombay,” Mufti wrote.
Her remarks came in response to media reports quoting Akhtar as saying that there was no communal angle to Rahman allegedly receiving fewer work opportunities in the Hindi film industry.
Mufti said Bollywood has historically reflected the social fabric of the country and cannot be detached from broader societal realities.
“Bollywood has always been a living mini-India, mirroring the country’s social realities. Brushing aside such experiences does not change the truth about today’s India,” the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said.
