Javed Akhtar reacts to Bollywood's silence on Operation Sindoor: 'If they’re not speaking...'

Javed Akhtar recently reacted to Bollywood’s silence on Operation Sindoor, the Indian government’s counter-terror attack in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which took place in Jammu and Kashmir. The legendary personality spoke candidly and shared his thoughts on the same.

“I spoke about it, I didn’t stay silent. Sometimes people may not like what I say, sometimes they do. But I say what I believe is the truth. Now who doesn’t speak. How would I know? many people are apolitical too,” he said while talking to The Lallantop.

Reflecting on his early days in the industry, Akhtar elaborated, “Look, when I was young, even though I came from a politically conscious and very vocal family… But when my films were becoming hits one after another, I had no idea what was going on in politics… I probably didn’t even read the newspaper. So that happens. Some people are just busy with their own work… If they’re not speaking, so be it. What’s the big deal? Some people are speaking. Many are. Others are chasing different goals… They want to earn more money or fame. Let them. It’s not necessary for everyone to speak, or for us to ask why they didn’t.”

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The veteran lyricist and writer shared that a popular businessman recently confronted him on the same topic. “Aapke Bollywood waale jo hain, nationalist films toh bohot banate hain… par iss maamle par sab chup hain,” the businessman reportedly said. Giving his witty reply, Akhtar said, “First of all, the term ‘Bollywood’ itself is an anti-national name. You call the Indian film industry ‘Bollywood’? In the world, if there’s any industry that can compete with Hollywood, it’s the Indian film industry. It has nearly wiped out European cinema. Our films are released in 136–137 countries on average… and you call it Bollywood?”