The famous lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar is one of those few Bollywood celebs who have no hesitation in speaking on different issues. In simple words, he likes to pour his heart out whenever he gets a chance to do so.
Javed Akhtar’s journey is full of ups and downs and during this journey, he also got addicted to alcohol and faced many problems because of it but he overcame the addiction, thanks to his strong will and determination.
Recently Javed Akhtar appeared on a podcast in which he was asked whether he started drinking to suppress his emotions. He said, “Maybe there were bottled-up emotions, the anger, the bitterness. That is why after drinking I would become quite offensive, which I’m otherwise not, nor ever was. This would never happen in my sober moments. But peeke koi ek dusra devil nikal aata tha.” (when I was drunk, a devil would emerge from within me).
He further talked about the times when he quit drinking. In his words, “The few good things I have done in life included quitting alcohol. July 31, 1991, was the last time I drank. I never took a sip of champagne after that. Not even during celebratory cheers.”
When Javed was asked that he would tell his younger self if he got a chance to do so, Javed Akhtar replied, “I would tell him that the 20-25 years he drank alcohol, he shouldn’t do that.”
He further said, “Bohot time waste hua usmey. I think I wasted at least a decade of my life where I could do much more, but because of all this, I wasted it. I could have done so much, learn a musical instrument, could learn another language like French or Persian. I had the time and the facility, but I wasted my time, which is not good. I had to learn a lot more.”
Click here to watch the full interview
Very well said, Javed Akhtar.
