Javed Akhtar ousted by the film industry?

The way Hollywood works is that an actor works as a partner in a film project incurring losses and earning a percentage of the share of profits. It's sensible, it's fair and it's a whole hearted indulgence in the creative process. Similar trend is now finding place in Bollywood, therefore when a certain Javed Akhtar stands up and lobbies in Parliament for the rights of writers and singers, eyebrows are raised.

No wonder then The Film Federation of India has "advised members of the film federation to not employ the services" of the iconic writer. The decision that was taken by its newly elected president, T.P. Agrawal, is based on the fact that it's really the producer who takes the maximum risk in the movie business. Therefore if a certain writer wishes to be eligible to be a part of the royalties then they must also be party to the risk involved.

Mukesh Bhatt in the capacity of a Vice President of The Film & Television Producers Guild Of India has issued no official statement on this but did express the fact that the decision was one taken emotionally and not rationally. He blamed the way in which the government has handled the whole copyright issue which has created the divide in the film industry.