Javed Akhtar Questions Inherited Religious Beliefs in New Interview

Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar recently questioned inherited religious beliefs during a conversation with Saurabh Dwivedi for Express Hindi. He stated that 99 percent of people die in the religion they were born into and questioned how often people form their beliefs on their own. While Akhtar acknowledged that religion can offer comfort during hard times, he doubted whether that emotional solace proves those beliefs are true. He compared the desire for a higher power to convincing oneself that Elon Musk is a brother who will send billions of dollars, noting how such a thought can bring false security without being real. He also pointed out that there are 10 major religions in the world and that claiming they are all the same is nonsense because they are all different.

Perspective

Akhtar stressed the importance of trusting ideas and logic instead of blindly trusting people, including parents or saints. He argued that ideas should be examined on their own merit because people can change their opinions over time.

Context

Javed Akhtar is a well-known poet, lyricist, and screenwriter with a career spanning over five decades in Indian cinema. Discussions regarding faith and rationalism frequently feature in public commentary by prominent cultural figures in India.