Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar played a pivotal role in getting the Copyright Amendment Act 2012 passed in the parliament. Before the 2012 amendment, music composers and lyricists often signed away their rights for a one-time payment for their work. As a Rajya Sabha member, Javed Akhtar gave a powerful speech in support of the bill and got the support of the ruling and opposition party to get the bill passed.

Javed Akhtar recalls boycott calls by producers

Akhtar emphasized the exploitation of creators and highlighted how lyricists and composers, despite their central creative contributions, were excluded from revenue sharing. However, this move didn`t sit well with many music companies and producers, and took out their anger towards the lyricist by passing a resolution to boycott him.