Happy Birthday to a poet, lyricist, scriptwriter, atheist and many more – Javed Akhtar. On Wednesday, Akhtar celebrated his 75th birthday as he arrived for a photo exhibition covering his life and times in the industry. A lot of people turned up for the exhibition. Among those who caught our attention were Farhan Akhtar, Shibani Dandekar, Zoya Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Rajkumar Hirani, and a few others. When asked what his kids had gifted him on his birthday, Akhtar said, “Farhan has gifted me a really nice brown watch, so whenever I wear a brown kurta then I wear that watch. Zoya also gifts me things whenever she returns from her international trips but I feel she is the biggest gift of mine. What else I can ask for?”

On this occasion, Akhtar said “A lot of people have achieved so much more than me. I feel I have earned the love of friends. I feel that I still have to do a lot of work. I can do a lot of things. I can write much more poetry, lyrics, and scripts. I can associate myself with the causes in which I believe in,” further he added, “I can speak my mind at different panel discussions so that I can bring in a change in people’s mindset.”

The lyrics of his evergreen songs never fail to leave a lasting impression on our minds. This man, with not his words but also his humor and the art of shunning stereotypes can win you for life. He achieved Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan in 1999 and 2007 respectively. The Sahitya Akademi Award, as well as five National Film Awards, are humble feathers to his success cap.

Here are some of his notable scripts with partner Salim include Andaz, Adhikar (1971), Haathi Mere Saathi and Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Zanjeer (1973), Haath Ki Safai (1974), Deewaar (1975), Sholay (1975), Chacha Bhatija (1977), Don (1978), Trishul (1978), Dostana (1980), Kranti (1981), Zamana (1985) and Mr. India (1987).