By: Entertainment DeskNew Delhi | September 17, 2025 10:35 AM IST 3 min readSinger-composer Shankar Mahadevan has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest musicians, artists, and directors of the industry during his multi-decade career. One of the stalwarts he has collaborated with on a regular basis is Javed Akhtar. During a recent interview, Shankar had nothing but praise for the award-winning lyricist and even recalled for the viewers some anecdotes of working with him and his son, Farhan Akhtar.While talking to journalist Faridoon Shahryar, Shankar stated that Javed Akhtar was one of the most essential supports anyone could ever ask for. “Javed ji is a pillar of support. He is the biggest source of inspiration and guidance. Sometimes we become too familiar with him and forget the things he has accomplished in the industry. Then you remember that he wrote, ‘Kitne aadmi the?’ from Gabbar. You start thinking about his body of work, right from Seeta aur Geeta to Sholay, Kala Patthar, Deewar, and Shakti. It’s all unbelievable work. Look at the songs he has written. I still can’t believe that Silsila was the first movie he ever wrote songs for. He told me, ‘I never thought I could be a lyricist.’ He delivered those songs, and that too in a state of emergency,” said Shankar.ALSO READ: Inside Shankar Mahadevan’s six-floor luxury home in Mumbai with recording studio, home theater, and swimming pool: ‘This is Antilia,’ says Farah Khan Javed Akhtar and Shankar Mahadevan. (Photo: Express Archive)He added, “His (Akhtar’s) beauty lies in the fact that he will come down to the level of amateurs and newcomers to talk to them and make them feel comfortable. The kind of respect that he shows and the childlike enthusiasm that he still shows. I mean, we still talk 2-3 times a day, about songs, lyrics, and whatnot. We just celebrated his 80th birthday, and he still behaves like a child. That is amazing, and he plays a very important role in everyone’s lives.”Talking about Akhtar’s childlike antics and the amount of joy he gets while working with him, Shankar recalled a hilarious anecdote involving Javed, Farhan, and Shabana Azmi. He said, “When you work with a director, producer or writer on a film, you are bound with them for 1-2 years. You need to have certain idiosyncrasies which match, or it won’t work. Luckily for me, I have had a beautiful time in the industry. The combination of Javed ji and Farhan is a riot. Half of the time, we are just laughing. I remember that Shabana ji once came to the studio; she took one look at us and said, ‘Koi producer tum logon ko dekhega toh paise nahi dega (If some producer watches you work, they won’t pay you any money).’ But that’s the way we work together, and even though we are having so much fun, before you know it, the song is ready.”Shankar concluded that working with the father-son duo is an extremely fun and easy task, and that he is looking forward to working with them on Don 3.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd