Zakir Khan says Javed Akhtar’s criticism of vulgar language in comedy is valid: ‘You can’t be pointing a finger at someone’

One of the most vocal critics of such content has been veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. Known for penning films like Sholay, Deewar, and Zanjeer, and for writing thousands of celebrated songs, Akhtar recently remarked that the excessive use of cuss words often compensates for a lack of substance in content.

Speaking at an event, he said, “If the conversation is bland, you will put some abusive language in it. Just to give it energy.”

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Elaborating further, he explained, “In Orissa, Bihar, and Mexico—anywhere in the world where there is poverty—people eat a lot of chilli because the food is bland. So just to get some taste, they eat chilli. Abusive language is the chilli of language. If you can speak good language and if you are witty enough, you don’t need this chilli.”

Now, popular stand-up comedian Zakir Khan has responded to Javed Akhtar’s remarks at the latest edition of Express Adda, hosted by The Indian Express.

Zakir said, “I respect Javed Akhtar a lot. I love his work. As an artiste, we often admire other artistes who evolve with time. He reads a lot. For the kind of language and culture he represents as a writer, his comment on comedians is valid.”

However, the stand-up comedian also offered a nuanced perspective, adding, “But it doesn’t mean people have to mandatorily apply it. If someone has cuss words in their language, you can’t stop that. As people grow, they do learn and refrain from certain things. But you can’t be pointing a finger at someone.”