Javed Akhtar's Harrowing Past: From Starvation to Stardom, One Decision Changed All

• Javed Akhtar arrived in Mumbai at 19, aspiring to assist Guru Dutt, but faced immediate hardship after Dutt's demise.
• He endured extreme poverty, sleeping on streets and railway stations, often going hungry for days, and having only one torn pair of pants.
• A crucial decision to reject a lucrative ghostwriting offer, prioritizing his name over money, marked a turning point in his career.
• His big break came on the set of S.M. Sagar's 'Sarhadi Lutera', where he got the chance to write dialogues and met Salim Khan.
• This led to the iconic Salim-Javed duo, who revolutionized Hindi cinema with blockbusters like 'Sholay' and 'Zanjeer'.

Why It Matters: Javed Akhtar's journey from extreme poverty to legendary writer highlights resilience and the power of one decision.