The populist poet

I have always aimed at making poetry understandable even to a person who does not have the remotest idea of the art. If I can't communicate my lines to people what's the use of making it public?

Source: This interview on Glamsham. In the above comment Javed Akhtar sahib sums up what I admire most about his work: it is poetic, evocative, and original, while still being accessible. As a learner of Hindi I particularly appreciate this, as I can both understand his writing and appreciate its cleverness.

In the interview Javed sahib also makes his favorite joke about his marriage to Shabana Azmi:

Our friendship is so strong that even marriage could not ruin it.

Thanks to Steena at the BollyWHAT forums for calling the interview to my attention.