Honoured to receive award from Lata Mangeshkar, says Javed Akhtar

Last week, Javed Akhtar received the Hridaynath Mangeshkar award from the doyenne of the Indian film music world, Lata Mangeshkar. The function was attended by the who’s who of the entertainment world, and Javed, an ardent Lata fan, still can’t get over the honour.

“I can’t think of any honour higher than this,” he gushes. “The contribution of the Mangeshkar family to Indian cinema is beyond limits, and Lataji’s contribution beyond description. There are some very rare artistes like Beethoven, about whom praise is redundant. Lataji belongs to that category of artistes. Nobody says ‘Beethoven made good music,’ or ‘Lataji sings well’.”

Javed, who was abroad, flew back just to receive the award, and left the country again. “I came only to receive the award,” he says. “And I’m so glad. I got another chance to spend time with Lataji. She’s so full of life, warmth and humour. She has laughter for every situation and occasion. She’s oblivious to her incredible achievements. Just being with her is the most inspiring experience.”