Javed Akhtar gets into Twitter spat with Shekhar Kapur after actor-director says he lives 'in fear of intellectuals'

A recent tweet from noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur got him engaged in a war of words with renowned lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. Shekhar’s tweet on 27 July (Saturday) stated that he still feels like a “refugee” and how some “intellectuals” made him feel “insignificant and small”. “Started life as refugee of Partition. Parents gave everything to make a life for kids. Was always in fear of ‘intellectuals’. They made me feel insignificant. Small,” read the tweet. However, he added that he was suddenly “embraced” but still fears those “intellectuals”.

Started life as refugee of Partition. Parents gave everything to make a life for kids. Was always in fear of ‘intellectuals’. They made me feel insignicant. Small. Then suddenly embraced me after my films. I still fear them. Their embrace is like a bite of snake. Still a refugee.

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 27, 2019

And it didn’t take long for the tweet to be noticed by Javed who lashed out at the filmmaker advicing him to see “a good psychiatrist.”

What do you mean by still a refugee Does it mean that you feel like an outsider n not an Indian n you don’t feel that this is your motherland .If in India you are still a refugee where will you not feel like a refugee ,In Pakistan? Cut this melodrama you poor rich but lonely guy

— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) July 28, 2019

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Shekhar Kapur, whose Twitter bio goes as “neither prejudiced by the past nor in near future”, fell prey to Javed’s jibe.

You introduce yourself as neither prejudiced by the past nor afraid of the future living in this moment and in the same breath you say you are a refugee of partition and still a refugee . One doesn’t need a magnifying glass to see the contradiction .

— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) July 28, 2019

Not elevating the spat, Shekar replied to Javed’s remark in a single tweet clarified his stand on the meaning of “refugee.”

No. It means once you are a refugee, you feel a gypsy. https://t.co/AQcnWh6cx1

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 28, 2019

Kapur is a noted filmmaker known for films like Bandit Queen and Masoom.