Javed Akhtar Recalls Early Bollywood: Assistant Directors Fetched Shoes, Not Called Stars by Name

• Javed Akhtar shared insights into the stark difference in treatment of assistant directors in early Bollywood versus today at the 19th Jaipur Literature Festival.
• He recounted how assistant directors were once tasked with menial jobs like fetching shoes and coats for actors, a far cry from the professional environment now.
• Akhtar noted that today's assistant directors are on first-name terms with stars, a concept unimaginable during his early career.
• Beyond film, Akhtar emphasized that secularism should be a natural way of life, learned through upbringing rather than artificial lectures.
• He also shared personal anecdotes about his agnostic upbringing and his grandmother's stance against imposing religion, highlighting her profound sensibility.

Why It Matters: Javed Akhtar highlighted the evolution of assistant director roles in Bollywood and the importance of natural secularism.