Indian screenwriting legend and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who is known for his contributions to Hindi cinema, and has won five National Film Awards over his career, has a word of advice for all stand-up comedians who use the crutches of profanities to incite a laughter during their gigs.
Recently, a video went viral in which the screenwriting legend spoke about the usage of inappropriate language in comedy. The video shows Akhtar being asked by a comedian, “So what is your perspective on whether it is appropriate to use abusive language in comedy or not?”
Akhtar responded, “I will tell you one thing — in Orissa, Bihar and Mexico, anywhere in the world where there is poverty, people eat a lot of chilli because the food is bland. So just to get some taste, they eat chili, and abusive language is the chilli of language...”