Mumbai: Veteran poet, lyricist, and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has been awarded the Dostoevsky Star Award, a prestigious international honour recognizing his influence on cultural dialogue and literary contributions. The announcement was made public by actor and wife Shabana Azmi, who took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate the achievement.
Azmi shared a photograph of Akhtar receiving the award and wrote in her caption:
“Another big honour for Javed Akhtar as he received the Dostoevsky Star Award! This year, the Russian House is deeply honoured to award the renowned poet, lyricist and public intellectual Mr. Javed Akhtar, in recognition of his remarkable influence on cultural dialogue and literary heritage.”
A Career Rich in Honours
Javed Akhtar is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of Indian cinema. Over the decades, he has won five National Film Awards for Best Lyrics and has been recognized with some of India’s highest civilian honours, including:
- Padma Shri in 1999
- Padma Bhushan in 2007
- Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu for his poetry collection Lava
- Richard Dawkins Award in 2020 — making him the only Indian to receive this international distinction for his commitment to secularism and rational thought
Public Voice and Political Thought
Beyond his literary and cinematic achievements, Javed Akhtar is known for speaking out on social, political, and cultural issues. He frequently shares his views on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), and during public appearances and literary events.
Recently, at the launch of the book Farewell Karachi, he addressed the strained relations between India and Pakistan, particularly in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people in April.
“It is a bit late in the day for reconciliation. Our people in India only knew what happened to them after 1947-48. The people over there knew what happened with them. If only all of them had sat together once… It has been 75 years. They would be in their 90s now. How many of them would even be alive?”