Jadunama: Javed Akhtar Ek Safar | जादूनामा: जावेद अख्तर - एक सफ़र (Hindi)
Jadunama is the story of a writer, poet, lyricist and political voice whose life has been anything but ordinary. From a childhood marked by struggle, Arvind Mandloi traces how one man carved out a place for himself across multiple worlds, leaving a distinct mark on each. The title itself carries a quiet poetry. Javed Akhtar's father, the poet Jaan Nisar, wrote the line 'lamha lamha kisi jaadu ka fasana hoga', and it was this verse that gave the young boy his earliest name: Jaadu. When schoolteachers felt the name lacked gravitas, it was changed to something close in spirit: Javed (meaning immortal) Akhtar (meaning star). An immortal star. It's a name he has, by any measure, grown into. The book draws on rare personal accounts and vivid anecdotes to present a portrait that feels both intimate and wide-ranging. Akhtar has received the Padma Shri (1999), the Awadh Samman (2001), the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award (2005) and the Padma Bhushan (2007), yet what comes through most strongly here is not the accolades but the restlessness. Whether championing writers' rights or engaging with cultural and social questions, he has consistently pushed for fairness in arenas where others stayed quiet. What makes Akhtar's journey particularly compelling is his refusal to settle. He has never followed a well-worn path or accepted the dominant narrative of any given moment. Mandloi likens him to a ship, driven by the winds of human feeling, dropping anchor at many ports across time. And yet, for all the ground covered, Akhtar's own belief holds that arriving somewhere can never truly be the destination. The horizon keeps moving. As one of his own couplets puts it: we placed our foot forward, and the destination became the road. This ship, the book suggests, is still very much at sea.
- Author: Arvind Mandloi
- Publisher: Manjul Publishing House
- Genre: Film & Cinema
- ISBN: 978-9373179322
- Pages: 404 pages