Farhan Akhtar opened up about the people, choices, and philosophies that have shaped him over the years. While discussing life, career, and the values he holds close, on mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist series, Farhan shared one of his most cherished anecdotes about his father, celebrated writer and poet Javed Akhtar, an incident that beautifully captures his father’s wit, clarity, and poetic humour.
Farhan Akhtar recalls a hilarious anecdote
Recalling the moment fondly, Farhan said, “One of my most favourite anecdotes about my dad is that we were in Lucknow and we had gone for a mushaira that he was doing. It is very typical that after a mushaira is held, a question-and-answer session follows.” As Javed Akhtar interacted with the audience, a woman raised a question that left the hall curious. “People were asking him different questions, and one lady raised her hand to ask. The Mohtarma asked, ‘You often talk about Lucknow, their culture and all, but you never speak about Gwalior. You were born there, but you never speak about it. What do you have to say?’”
Javed Akhtar’s response, as narrated by Farhan, was both honest and gently humorous. “My father replied, ‘You are right that I was born in Gwalior, but my family was in Lucknow.’ It was just that when I was going to be born, she had come to her mother`s place, and as soon as I was born, we returned to Lucknow in a week or so. I was raised in Lucknow and not Gwalior.”
But it was the poetic couplet that followed which left a lasting impression on Farhan. “He even added a couplet to describe the situation, ‘Billi beshak apne pille tandoor mein janam deti hai, par aap usko biscuit toh nahi bula sakte. I am not a biscuit.’”
What would Farhan Akhtar choose between money, fame, and power?
In the same candid segment, Farhan also revealed what he would choose if given the option between power, money, and fame. With characteristic self-awareness, he shared, “Money, I feel, is a way or something that allows you to live your life with a certain amount of dignity, especially in today`s times. I can live without the fame; it doesn`t bother me much.”
As for power, Farhan added, “By power, I don`t know exactly what to interpret… I feel any kind of power that is unchecked is toxic. So even if it sounds kind of materialistic, I`d choose money to sustain.”