The famous Bollywood lyricist and screen-writer Mr. Javed Akhtar talks about the history of Indian cinema and how it has influenced the society and vice versa. He says, "If you look closely at Indian cinema, you can write the social, economical and political history of our country." Son of well-known Urdu poet and film lyricist Jan Nisar Akhtar and Safia Akhtar, teacher and writer, Javed Akhtar belongs to a family lineage that can be traced back to seven generations of writers. His body of work can be categorized under three distinct categories : a) script writer b) lyricist c) poet. Along with his ex-partner Salim, he scripted super hits like Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Haathi Mere Saathi, Seeta Aur Geeta, Don, Trishul, etc. Salim-Javed as a writer-duo gave to Indian Cinema the memorable persona of the 'Angry Young Man'. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2007), the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as 5 National Film Awards and 16 Filmfare Awards. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx