Latest news with #Akhtar
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Girl raped on roadside in front of brother; accused held
Motihari: An 18-year-old girl was allegedly raped in broad daylight on Sunday by a man who intercepted her near the Siswaniya-Motihari road. The assault took place in the presence of her brother. According to police, the girl had stopped near the roadside in the Siswaniya area to relieve herself while travelling to Motihari on a motorcycle with her brother. As she moved a short distance away from the road, the accused, Shakeel Akhtar, allegedly attacked and raped her, gagging the girl despite her and her brother's resistance. On hearing his sister's screams, the girl's brother raised an alarm. Villagers from the nearby area reached the spot, caught the accused and beat him before handing him over to the police. SHO of Banjariya police station, Ramesh Mahato, said, "After the girl's medical examination, police registered a case against Akhtar and sent him to jail. The medical report is awaited." Akhtar is a resident of Siswaniya village under the Banjariya police station area and the girl hailed from a different village. According to police, the rape survivor was travelling with her brother to Motihari when the incident occurred. A Dial 112 police team arrived at the spot and took the accused into custody. Villagers narrated the full sequence of events to the officers.
Mint
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Javed Akhtar defends Diljit Dosanjh, urges govt to show sympathy amid ‘Sardaar Ji 3' row: 'Bechara didn't know'
Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has come out in defence of actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, who is facing severe backlash over the casting of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in his upcoming film 'Sardaar Ji 3'. In a recent interview with NDTV's Creators Manch, Akhtar called for a more nuanced and sympathetic response from both the government and film bodies. 'Ab kya karein bechara. The movie was shot earlier. Usko pata toh nahi tha ki aisa hoga,' Akhtar said, referring to the recent controversy. 'It's not a Pakistani's money that will be lost, it's an Indian's. So what's the point?' he added, stressing that punishing Diljit retroactively for a decision made before current tensions escalated would be unreasonable. The controversy erupted after the trailer of 'Sardaar Ji 3' was released on June 22, revealing Hania Aamir as the female lead. The casting drew immediate flak due to ongoing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, prompting calls for boycotts and official action. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issued a letter to filmmaker Imtiaz Ali—currently working on another project with Diljit—urging him to cut ties with the actor. The letter went further, requesting the Government of India to blacklist Dosanjh and revoke his passport and citizenship. Akhtar, however, argued for a more balanced approach, 'If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn't have cast a Pakistani actor in the first place. I think the government and the censor board should look at the situation with a little sympathy. Say, 'Don't do this again,' but allow the film to release.' Akhtar's comments inject a voice of reason into what has rapidly become a politicised and polarising debate.
News18
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Javed Akhtar Reacts To Diljit Amid Sardaar Ji 3 Row: ‘Iss Mein Pakistan Ka Paisa Toh Nahi Doobega'
Javed Akhtar reacts to the backlash over Diljit Dosanjh's Sardaar Ji 3, says banning the film hurts Indian money, not Pakistani. Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Sardaar Ji 3, Diljit Dosanjh's latest Punjabi film, which features Pakistani actress Hania Aamir. In a recent interview at NDTV's Creators Manch, Akhtar addressed the backlash against the film and questioned the logic behind boycotting its release in India. Responding to the outrage over Diljit collaborating with a Pakistani actor, Akhtar said that the movie was completed well before the Pahalgam terror attack, which triggered the outrage. 'Ab kya karein bechara. The movie was shot earlier. Usko pata toh nahi tha ki aisa hoga. Iss mein Pakistani aadmi ka paisa toh nahi doobega, Hindustani ka paisa doobega. Toh phir kya faayda?" he remarked. Backing Diljit, Akhtar added, 'Usko pehle pata hota yeh hone wala hain, toh woh thodi na leta Pakistani actress. I think the government and the censor board should look at the situation with a little sympathy. And say that don't do this again, but since you made this film before, then release it. But it should not happen again." Sardaar Ji 3 has released worldwide today, June 23, but is yet to see the light of day in Indian cinemas due to the ongoing uproar. The controversy erupted after the trailer dropped, with fans and industry voices criticising the inclusion of Hania Aamir in the cast. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issued a strongly worded letter urging filmmaker Imtiaz Ali to cut ties with Diljit Dosanjh. Imtiaz is reportedly working on a Baisakhi 2026 release with the actor, also starring Naseeruddin Shah, Sharvari, and Vedang Raina. Their letter stated: 'Your involvement risks sending a deeply conflicting message, especially given your influence as a director known for socially resonant themes." FWICE further appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke the passports and citizenship of the makers involved with Sardaar Ji 3, seeking a complete industry ban. First Published:
NDTV
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Pahalgam Attack Was On Country, Not Government: Javed Akhtar On Op Sindoor Delegations
New Delhi: Members of the opposition being part of the outreach delegations to various countries following Operation Sindoor is a welcome step because the Pahalgam terror attack was not carried out on the government, but India as a whole, noted lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar has said. In an over 30-minute discussion at NDTV's Creators' Manch on Friday, Mr Akhtar also spoke about where the real power centre in Pakistan lies and the row over the casting of Pakistani actor Hania Amir in Diljit Dosanjh's film 'Sardaar Ji 3'. Asked if including leaders like the Congress' Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in the outreach delegations was a calculated move by the government, the lyricist said in Hindi, "The Pahalgam terror attack was not on the government, it was an attack on the country. So everyone in the country will go. Among the people (who were part of the delegations) are some who keep attacking the government. But when it comes to the country, we are all one... the other issues are internal ones and we will keep talking about them internally," the lyricist said. Mr Akhtar said Mr Tharoor is very articulate and he was happy the Congress leader led one of the delegations, because he has diplomatic experience at the United Nations. "This is an issue that concerns the country, and that's when everyone is one. That is how it should be. This is not about a political party," he said. On the relationship between India and Pakistan, Mr Akhtar said it feels like this is the worst phase because it is a fresh wound, but pointed out that the 1965 war and the Kargil war had also happened. "Each time, the government in Pakistan tries to wash its hands of what's happening and claims it wasn't involved. In 1948, they said tribals had entered Kashmir; during the Kargil war, they said they did not know who had gone there. Similarly, in Pahalgam, they said they did not know anything about the attack. This is nothing new, it's what they do," he said. 'Not A Monolith' The lyricist stressed, however, that no country is a monolith and crores of people in Pakistan want friendship with India, but this does not suit the country's government, army and right wing. "It suits the common people there, and why won't it? India is such a big market, it has great universities, a rich culture... so young people from there will want to come here and work... in the entertainment industry and the corporate sphere. Businessmen would also want to collaborate with Indian businesses, how are all of them benefiting from strained ties? They only lose because of this," he said. Mr Akhtar said even the US knows where the real power centre in Pakistan lies and that democracy in the country is a sham. "Those who benefit are the right wing in Pakistan, because their existence depends on hatred for India and the country's army, because it'll have to stay in the barracks if there is no confrontation with India. Even when the American president wanted to talk to Pakistan, he could have spoken to the president or prime minister, but he knew where the real power lies, so he called their army chief Asim Munir. This made it clear that their democracy is a sham and the army rules the country. So, how will good relations with India suit them?" he pointed out. The lyricist repeated that it would not be in India's interest to treat Pakistan as a monolith. Indians, he said, should encourage people in Pakistan who admire and love India. Diljit Row On the row over the casting of Pakistani actor Hania Amir in Diljit Dosanjh's 'Sardaar Ji 3', Mr Akhtar said it was pointless because the movie had been shot earlier. "How was he to know? Pakistan will not lose money (because of this), our countryman will... Laws can't be applied retrospectively... The Censor Board and the government should look at this sympathetically. They can say it shouldn't happen again," he suggested. One way of bettering the relationship between the countries when things weren't as bad as they are now, the scriptwriter said, would have been for artistes from both sides to make movies with the involvement of the governments.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
"Society Shaken Only When...": Javed Akhtar On Honeymoon, Drum Murder Cases
New Delhi: Lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar has questioned where society's outrage was when women were set on fire, assaulted by their husbands and tortured by their in-laws, alluding to recent cases of women killing their husbands including the widely reported honeymoon murder case in Meghalaya. Mr Akhtar, whose strong views on social and political issues often make headlines, said he has "mixed emotions" on two of the cases involving the murder of men by their wives - one in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut whose body was cut up and stuffed in a drum, and the other from Indore who was killed by his wife during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. "Women have been set on fire. If they are not set on fire, their lives in their in-laws' homes are worse than death as they get beaten up every day. But why is society not outraged by all these? What a shameless society," Mr Akhtar said at NDTV Creators Manch. "Two women are accused of murder and society is shocked. But where was the shock for years when women were tortured by men and is still happening even today?" To a question by NDTV on the honeymoon murder case that happened soon after the couple's wedding, Mr Akhtar said the woman committed a crime, but more information needs to be asked. "What she did was very wrong. But if she did it soon after their wedding, find out whether the wedding was forced on her against her wish. It would be easy to find out," Mr Akhtar said, referring to Indore resident Sonam who hired three hitmen and killed her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. "Is it easy for a woman from a small city in Hindustan to tell her mother and father that she will not get married? Can she say that?" he said. "I am not justifying murdering anyone, including husbands," he said in a lighter vein, which drew laughter from the audience. "There was a time when many daughters-in-law were killed in pressure cooker explosions. Even the pressure cooker would recognise who is a daughter-in-law. The mother-in-law or her daughter never died," Mr Akhtar added, alluding to daughters-in-law as kitchen workers who face an occupational hazard. #NDTVCreatorsManch | "Women are burnt alive every day. If they are not burnt alive, they become victims of domestic violence. Didn't this shake the society? I am not justifying the murders": Javed Akhtar on Meghalaya Horror, Meerut drum murder @Javedakhtarjadu @MinakshiKandwal — NDTV (@ndtv) June 27, 2025 He has written a large number of poems against communalism and social injustice, and for women's rights. In 1995, the central government declared one of his songs that asked misguided young people to come forward and build the country the "National Anthem for Youth". He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha as an MP in 2010.
