Javed Akhtar asks, 'Why are songs embarrassing to new directors?'

Veteran writer Javed Akhtar has rued that the "epic-like" quality of Indian cinema is slowly fading away as the new crop of directors seems "embarrassed" about using songs in their films. The lyricist said many generations grew up listening to larger-than-life stories like the Ramayana and Mahabharata and it was sad that the country was losing out on it.

'Epic-like quality is going of the Indian Cinema'

"An average Hindi film's screenplay is nearer to a novel than a short story. Now the new cinema that's developing is gradually going towards short story and is rejecting the songs. So the epic-like quality is gradually going out of Indian cinema and I am very sad about it," Akhtar said on Monday.

READ | Shabana Azmi salutes husband Javed Akhtar for believing in himself

'Why are songs embarrassing to new directors'

The 74-year-old writer was speaking at the launch of journalist Khalid Mohamed's novel "The Aladia Sisters".Akhtar wondered how can people be embarrassed about something which is embedded in their culture.

"In our indigenous cinema, the way we have used melodrama, look at masters like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor and Vijay Anand, and how they have used songs. Why has it started to embarrass new directors, I don't know," he said. 

"Tomorrow some Japanese will get embarrassed about Kabuki? Or Italians will get embarrassed by Italian Opera?" he asked.  Also present at the event were Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar and yesteryear actor Asha Parekh.

 READ | Javed Akhtar: Priyanka Chopra's views on Kashmir is of an Indian

READ | Only I can pen Sahir Ludhianvi's biopic: Javed Akhtar