Angry Young Men: Javed Akhtar gets emotional recalling his struggles in Mumbai: “I slept at railway stations, studio compounds, in corridors, on benches”

Legendary screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, renowned for his work as part of the iconic duo Salim-Javed as a writer and lyricist, recently opened up about the hardships he faced during his early days in Mumbai, then Bombay. In the three-part docu-series Angry Young Men, Akhtar took a trip down memory lane, recounting the challenges he endured in pursuing a career in the film industry.

Reflecting on his youthful optimism, Akhtar shared, “When you’re a teenager, life is easy, and you can do anything. That’s what I believed. I decided after my graduation that I’d move to Bombay to work as an assistant director, either with Guru Dutt or Raj Kapoor. They were directors I admired at that time. I was sure I’d become a director myself in a short time.”

Like many young dreamers who flock to Mumbai, he had envisioned a smooth ascent to success, but the reality proved far more daunting. Akhtar recalled the grim reality of his early days in the city, where he struggled to find even the most basic necessities. “I slept at railway stations, studio compounds, in corridors, on benches, and so on,” he recounted. “Sometimes I had to walk miles from Dadar to Bandra because I didn’t have money for the bus fare. Sometimes I realised I hadn’t eaten for two days.” Despite these hardships, Akhtar maintained a sense of hope and resilience. “I used to always think the day I wrote my autobiography or if someone did, this day would make for an amazing moment. This thought never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t make it.”

At just 15 years old, Akhtar had left his family behind to chase his dreams in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai. He emphasized his refusal to seek financial help, even during the most desperate times. “When I was 18, I realised I had nothing to wear. Now how that’s possible? Obviously, I’ve been wearing clothes for 18 years. So how could I have nothing to wear? But that’s how it was. My last trousers and the only trousers I had were torn to the extent that they couldn’t be worn anymore, and I had no other trousers,” he shared.

As he continued to recount his struggles, Akhtar became visibly emotional. He described how the deprivation of basic needs like food and sleep left an indelible mark on him. “If you have been deprived of food or sleep in your life, it leaves a deep mark on you that you will never forget,” he said. “When I go to a five-star hotel with large sprawling double beds, and sometimes when I am lying there, I remember coming to Bombay in the third-class train compartment. It used to take two days. There was no place to sit in the compartment, not even a place to lean against and I was deprived of sleep, and how tired I was, if only I had a little stretch of that double bed.”

Even today, despite his success, Akhtar finds it difficult to reconcile his current reality with his past struggles. “Sometimes I’m served breakfast on a trolley with butter, jam, half-fried eggs, and coffee. I think if I deserve this even now. I think this breakfast can’t be for me, it must be someone else’s. I can’t get over that.”

Angry Young Men premiered on Prime Video in India on August 20, offering viewers a glimpse into the lives of writer duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. The docu-series has been directed by Namrata Rao. ALSO READ: Angry Young Men: Javed Akhtar says Salman Khan was ‘exceptionally good-looking child’; Arbaaz Khan was a ‘regular seducer’: “Badmaash baccha toh woh tha”