People Have Fun Pulling High Profile People Down: Javed Akhtar On Bollywood Being A 'Target'
Without taking names, Akhtar said the superstar's son's case got more media attention than an alleged 'one billion dollar' drug recovery from a port, referring to the seizure of 2,988 kg of heroin at Mundra Port located in Kutch district of Gujarat.
Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar attended a book launch event when asked to comment on the Hindi Film Industry making headlines now and then because of controversies.
Sharing his take on constant 'scrutiny', he says that they have always been under the scanner because of their 'high profile' nature, which is also the price that they have to pay.
Agencies
The veteran writer's statement comes when there is renewed attention on Bollywood and its celebrity culture after superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested in connection with a case of alleged seizure of drugs from a cruise ship.
There have been voices on social media that felt the case against Aryan was a deliberate attempt to target the film industry.
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When asked if he feels that Bollywood is routinely targeted with raids, Akhtar told reporters,
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"This is the price the film industry has to pay for being high profile. When you are high profile, people have fun pulling you down, throwing muck at you. If you are a nobody, then who has the time to throw stones at you?" Akhtar was speaking at the launch of the book Changemakers.
Aryan Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 2 from the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.
indianexpress
Without taking names, Akhtar said the superstar's son's case got more media attention than an alleged 'one billion dollar' drug recovery from a port, referring to the seizure of 2,988 kg of heroin at Mundra Port located in Kutch district of Gujarat.
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"You find cocaine worth one billion dollars at a port, somewhere else there were 1200 people where ganja and a total sum of Rs 1 lakh 30 thousand is found, according to media reports. Now, this has become big national news, but I haven't seen any headline on the billion-dollar cocaine¡," he added.
Javed Akhtar refused to elaborate when explicitly asked if he feels Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan are being targeted.
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Akhtar was himself mired in controversy after Mumbai police registered an FIR against him over his alleged remark against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
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Akhtar (76), in a recent interview, drew parallels between the Taliban and Hindu extremists.
(With inputs from PTI)
