Javed Akhtar is one of the best screenwriters in the country and is called legendary for a reason. His partnership with Salim Khan and their pairing of Salim-Javed is iconic and not something which one can ever see again in Hindi cinema. While one may feel that Akhtar must be proud of all of his work, in a recent interview he has admitted that he regrets writing a particular scene in a movie and feels guilty about it.
He said during a chat with Mojo Story, “I’ve never written a film that I’d say I shouldn’t have written. Nor have I written a complete song that I’d say I shouldn’t have. But there’s a scene.” He further recalled, “In Seeta Aur Geeta, Geeta (Hema Malini) is a very strong and aggressive girl. Then she’s replaced by Seeta (also played by Hema Malini). Dharmendra comes to their house and starts eating. And he says, ‘Mausi, kya khana banaya hai aapne!’ Wo bolti hai, ‘Ye maine nahi banaya hai, ye toh Geeta ne banaya hai’ (Aunt, you’ve made such great food! She says, ‘I haven’t made it, Geeta has’).”
Akhtar further explained how Dharmendra’s character had no respect for Geeta initially, till she makes good food for him. The scene reflected that a man can have respect for a woman only if she fulfills certain domestic roles. He calls this scene as ‘outdated’ with a very problematic message. He said, “So, he looks at Geeta with new respect. She’s his business partner. She performs on the streets with him. He didn’t have any respect for her till then. But when she made good food, then he respected her. I wouldn’t have written this scene today. I wrote that scene; I plead guilty. But I will not write this scene today.”
Recently, a documentary on Salim-Javed’s career and life was released on OTT and was loved immensely by everyone.
