Singer Lucky Ali has sharply criticised veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar after a video of Akhtar making controversial remarks about religion and free speech resurfaced online.

In the viral clip, Akhtar is seen discussing a scene from the 1975 film ‘Sholay’, where Dharmendra’s character speaks to Hema Malini while hiding behind a statue of Lord Shiva.

He reflects on how such a scene might not be possible in today’s socio-political climate.

“Were there no Hindus in 1975? Were there no dharmic people? There were,” Akhtar says, before adding: “Don’t become like Muslims. Make them like yourself. You are becoming like Muslims. It’s a tragedy”.

The context or date of the video remains unclear, but it appears to be from an event where Akhtar was speaking about freedom of speech a

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