Overview
- Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on Sunday after receiving a P. C. Chandra award, Javed Akhtar said artists have the right to promote their ideas through their work.
- He questioned the label itself, asking what is wrong with so‑called propaganda films and saying every story presents a truth from a point of view.
- Akhtar said he loved Dhurandhar and preferred the first installment to the second, as critics continue to argue the films favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.
- The Dhurandhar franchise remains a top box‑office force with each part clearing Rs 1,000 crore worldwide, and a Japan release has been announced for July 10.
- Pointing to wider strains over speech, he recalled a West Bengal Urdu Academy event for him that was canceled after objections and flagged intolerance highlighted by a case against poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay.