Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar found himself at the centre of a social media storm after accidentally posting a note on X (formerly Twitter) that seemed to hint at a paid promotion of eGates, or automated gates, to facilitate a faster and more efficient immigration process. Hours later, the post, which included a "please share this" note, was swiftly deleted.
Javed Akhtar then shared an ad promoting eGates. In the follow-up note, he wrote, "This is an ad about more efficient device at the airport. I thought frequent fliers should know about it."
This is an ad about more efficient device at the airport . I thought frequent fliers should know about it
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) July 24, 2025
Earlier in the day, Javed Akhtar had shared the same video on his timeline but apparently forgot to delete the attached message, which read, "Sir, this is the official video by the Ministry of Home Affairs for e-Gates for immigration. Sir, please share this video; this will spread awareness among people of India."
The video was presumably sent to Javed Akhtar as part of a campaign by the authorities from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The series of tweets remained visible on his X page for over two hours. Read the full story here.
In other news, a few days ago, Javed Akhtar shared his views on Diljit Dosanjh's Sardaarji 3 row in an interview with NDTV. When asked about Diljit working with Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in the film, the lyricist said that he wasn't aware when the movie was shot.
On being told that the film was shot before the Pahalgam attack, Javed Akhtar said, "Ab kya karein bechara. The movie was shot earlier. Usko pata toh nahi tha ki aisa hoga. Iss mein Pakistani aadmi ka paisa toh nahi doobega, Hindustani ka paisa doobega. Toh phir kya faayda?"
He added, "Usko pehle pata hota yeh hone wala hain, toh woh thodi na leta Pakistani actress. I think the government and the censor board should look at the situation with a little sympathy. And say that don't do this again, but since you made this film before, then release it. But it should not happen again."
Known for his work in Hindi cinema, Javed Akhtar is credited with writing films like Sholay, Silsila, Seeta Aur Geeta, Deewar and Don.
