Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has responded to Pakistani actor Bushra Ansari’s recent comments against him. In a calm but clear statement during an interview, Akhtar questioned Ansari’s right to tell him to “stay quiet.”
Bushra Ansari had earlier mocked Akhtar on social media, saying he “can’t even get a house on rent in Mumbai” and that he should “stay quiet like Naseeruddin Shah.” Akhtar didn’t hold back in his reply.
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“She said Naseeruddin Shah stays quiet, so I should too. But who is she to decide when I should speak? Who gave her that right?” Akhtar asked in an interview with The Lallantop.
He further said, “Yes, we Indians do have our internal issues. But when someone from outside points fingers, I am first and foremost an Indian. I won’t stay silent.”
Responding to the claim that he couldn’t find a house in Mumbai, Akhtar laughed and said sarcastically, “Yes, of course! Shabana and I are sleeping on the streets now.”
He then explained the story that may have led to this rumour. “About 25 years ago, Shabana wanted to buy a flat. The broker told us the owner didn’t want to sell to Muslims because his family was forced out of Sindh during Partition. That anger came from his personal pain, not religion. So how can Bushra Ansari twist this and use it against me?”
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The whole issue started after Akhtar’s recent speech at the Gauravshaali Maharashtra Mahotsav, where he strongly condemned the killing of 26 tourists by terrorists in Pahalgam. “Yeh baat humein bhulni nahi chahiye, yeh mamooli baat nahi hai (This is something we must not forget; it is not a small matter),” Akhtar had said.
Ansari reacted sharply, saying, “Unko toh bas bahana chahiye. Bombay mein makaan kiraye pe nahi milta tha (They just needed an excuse… that they couldn’t find a house to rent in Bombay)” She also added, “Chup ho jaayein. Naseeruddin Shah bhi toh chup hain (Stay quiet. Even Naseeruddin Shah is quiet)”
