Here, Nasreen Munni Kabir talks with this hugely creative writer about his early influences, his relationship with his parents, his life and work in films where he began as a clapper boy in the mid-sixties, and his successful partnership with Salim Khan.

An original thinker, Javed Akhtar turns his analytical gaze to the conventions of Hindi cinema, its songs and its stories. He is illuminating about many aspects of screenplay, dialogue writing and lyric writing, bringing alive his understanding of these creative forms with his descriptions of the way well-known film dialogue and famous songs canme to be written. Akhtar speaks with clarity and honesty about his development as a poet and his growth as a politically-aware person.

Sparkling with Akhtar's wit, intelligence and skill as a raconteur, this well-illustrated book will appeal to everyone interested in cinema and the arts.