Renowned Indian lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has once again sparked outrage on social media with his latest controversial remarks — this time regarding heaven and his preferences for certain fruits.
A video clip of Akhtar speaking at an unspecified event has gone viral on social media, although it remains unclear when or where the event took place. In the video, Akhtar is heard jokingly saying,
“My favorite fruits, banana and guava, are not found in heaven — so I don’t even try to go there.”
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The audience at the event can be heard laughing at his comment. Akhtar then continued, saying, “Perhaps these fruits are in hell, so I never make an effort to go to heaven.”
The remarks have sparked backlash from social media users who found the joke offensive and disrespectful. One user wrote, “This man destroyed his afterlife just to make four people laugh.”
This is not the first time Javed Akhtar has made headlines for controversial remarks. In an earlier event, he had said, “Pakistanis tell me I will go to hell, and Indians call me a jihadi. They say go to Pakistan. If I had to choose between Pakistan and hell, I would choose hell.”
Many users have criticized Akhtar for what they perceive as a deliberate attempt to insult religious beliefs and promote divisive narratives.
