Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar is a notable Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist, currently the chairman and founding member of Muslims For Secular Democracy (MFSD), formed to oppose the regressive rituals of the community and provide a liberal and progressive alternative. He has been one of the eleven members of Citizens For Justice And Peace along with Teesta Setalwad and others who took the Gujarat Government to Court for their complicity in the communal riots of 2002. Akhtar was nominated to Rajya Sabha as a Member of Parliament by the President of India in 2010, and is the architect of the Copyright Amendment Bill passed by both Houses of Indian Parliament, which after a long struggle, has finally given Copyright royalties to Writers and Music Directors. He was the Vice President of CISAC & the first Asian to be on its Governing Board. Akhtar has received countless awards and accolades for his inimitable contribution to Indian Cinema, including the prestigious Padma Shri & Padma Bhushan.