Shabana was seated next to me when Javed Akhtar was confused for Gulzar at the airport and did not correct it
It’s easy to get confused between two people, but when you get confused between two legendary writers, the internet takes note of it.
A man once mistook Javed Akhtar for Gulzar. The poet and the seasoned scriptwriter had previously faced off against one another countless times.
Javed Akhtar recently related an amusing incident about how a man at an airport mistook him for renowned author Gulzar. Gulzar shared the stage with the seasoned screenwriter at the Jadunama book launch. In his conversation with Gulzar, Javed described how one individual had mistakenly met him at an airport and continued to play along. While Shabana Azmi was seated next to him, all of these events occurred.
According to Javed Akhtar, there was so much uncertainty that he pretended to be Gulzar and claimed to be there to pick Javed Akhtar up. The airline employees asked Shabana (Azmi) and me to sit down while they went to fetch our luggage, he claimed.
Shabana was seated next to me when a man walked up to me and yelled, “Adaab Gulzar saab!” I also gave an adaab in answer. How come Gulzar Saab is at the airport, he pondered at that point. I informed him that Javed Akhtar saab would be arriving, and I would be there to welcome him.
He was startled that Javed Akhtar would be receiving such a large man! I responded, “I always come,” when he asked me with disappointment in his voice, “You are here to greet Javed Akhtar?” I always meet Javed Akhtar at the airport, no matter where he is travelling from.
Given that he admires Gulzar and that Gulzar has come to meet Javed Akhtar, you could see the disappointment on his face! He murmured, “Achcha,” in a bewildered, dissatisfied tone. Javed said, “Chalta hu Gulzar saab.” Gulzar was inconsolable after the occurrence.
Javed added that although the two are not “lookalikes,” individuals of “average intelligence” frequently use their heads as “kabad khana (storeroom)” instead. He continued by saying that when it comes to poets, people simply reach into the cupboard and pull out a name to use as a kind of address.
In addition, Gulzar performed a poem he had written for Javed at the book launch. Throughout their careers, the two have engaged in strong competition over their songs and have frequently been seen as one other’s competitors.