Meet India's highest-paid lyricist who charges Rs 25 lacs per song, had a fallout with 'Animal' director Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Javed Akhtar is a name that needs no introduction. The legend has an experience of over five decades and is one of the most accomplished artists in Hindi cinema. From a writer to a lyricist, his transition has been fierce and fascinating. It’s been reported he charges around Rs 25 lacs for a song that makes him the highest-paid lyricist in the industry.

Fallout with Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Javed Akhtar says he was “flattered” when “Animal” director Sandeep Reddy Vanga was unable to find anything objectionable about his body of work spanning 53 years after the industry veteran highlighted that the commercial success of films with problematic scenes was a dangerous trend.

At an event earlier this year,  Akhtar had expressed concern about the current state of cinema taking an apparent swipe at Vanga’s movie but didn’t take its name. The swipe, however, didn’t go down well with the director who in turn called Akhtar’s art “false”.

Starring Ranbir Kapoor as a violent man desperate for his father’s approval, “  Animal ” received criticism for its graphic content and misogyny. Notably, the film was one of the top grossing Hindi titles of 2023 earning Rs 900 crore at the box office.

“When he or his team retaliated, I was extremely flattered. I was honoured. In 53 years of my career, he could not find one film, one script, one scene, one dialogue or one song, that he could say ‘See, this is what you have written and you are talking about my film’,” Akhtar, 79, said in an interview to digital outlet Mojo Story.

When the “Animal” director was unable to find any dirt on him, he decided to take an aim at his son Farhan Akhtar’s production “Mirzapur”, said the lyricist-writer, known for films such as “Zanjeer”, “Deewar” and “Mr India” with former writing partner Salim Khan.