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Javed Akhtar has been writing words that endure for more than five decades, and in a candid conversation with Vogue India, he turned his gaze toward what he believes is happening to creativity in the digital age. What he found does not reassure him. The veteran lyricist and screenwriter argued that the internet and its algorithms have created a culture of creative fear, one in which people are no longer willing to take the risk of doing something that has not already been done before. “The echo chambers created by the internet have made most people afraid to do something for the first time,” he said. “Once someone else does it, they’re fine to follow in their footsteps.” He extended that observation into a broader concern about how people engage with ideas and the world around them. “People no longer want to pause, think, analyse or sit with an idea. They are living happily, so why would they bother to think about this universe or the vastness of nature? For them, it is a waste of time.” For Akhtar, this impatience is incompatible with the kind of work that lasts. “Meaningful creation requires time, discomfort and reflection,” he said, adding that his own willingness to question dominant voices and widely accepted ideologies has always come from exactly that kind of sustained engagement with ideas. He was particularly pointed about the music industry and the way commercial priorities have pushed the role of lyrics to the margins. “Today, words have become less important because the marketing team has decided that slow music won’t trend,” he said. The result, in his view, is an industry that remixes old material with inferior new writing rather than producing something genuinely fresh. “But then they take those same songs, edit the mukhras and remix them with some inferiorly written antaras. There was a time when writers had more space. Today, other forces dictate what music gets made. And yet, songs that are decades old still endure, while many recent ones have a short shelf life.” His advice to young writers was direct and unglamorous. Read more. Not only classical literature and celebrated authors, but light reading too. “The real loss is not in reading something trivial but in not reading at all,” he said. On the creative process itself, Akhtar drew a distinction that cuts to the heart of what separates craft from genuine art. “All arts can be divided into two parts. On one hand, there’s imagination, passion, fantasy and romance, and on the other, there is craft. You can learn the craft in a crash course. But imagining, fantasising and romanticising cannot be learned. There are no courses for yearning.” He closed with a lesson passed down from his father that has stayed with him throughout his career. “It is very easy to write in difficult language, but very difficult to write in easy language. When you write simply, there is no space for your idea to hide behind big words. Only if you are totally convinced of what you are writing can you afford to use transparent language.” It is a principle that has shaped some of Hindi cinema’s most enduring words, and one that no algorithm is likely to teach.

South Korean global music sensation BTS has decided not to submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards in 2027, raising fresh debate over the Recording Academy’s newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. The seven-member group announced the decision through individual posts on Instagram, saying it wanted music to be appreciated for its artistic value rather than being separated by region or language. “We hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language,” the group said while confirming it would not participate in the upcoming Grammy submission process. This marks the first time BTS has stepped away from the Grammy competition, despite being one of the most influential global acts and a major force behind the worldwide rise of K-pop. The controversy began after the Recording Academy introduced the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, which will debut at the 69th Grammy Awards scheduled for February 2027. The category aims to recognise outstanding pop performances from Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, featuring Asian languages. However, BTS’ decision highlighted concerns among some artists and fans that creating region-based categories could create divisions within global music rather than promoting equal recognition. Responding to the group’s announcement, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was disappointed but respected BTS’ choice. Mason explained that the new category was created to celebrate the diversity, growth and creativity of Asian artists, not to separate them from other musicians. He said the purpose of the award was to provide more opportunities for artists to receive recognition from Grammy voters and emphasized that artists nominated in genre categories could still compete for major awards, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. “The category was created to shine a spotlight on important artists and expand recognition,” Mason said, adding that genre categories and major Grammy fields remain open to all eligible musicians. BTS’ decision comes after a major comeback year for the group. The band released its album “ARIRANG” in March 2026 after completing mandatory military service commitments. The album achieved major international success, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart and setting a new milestone for a K-pop act. Over the past decade, BTS has become one of the biggest names in global entertainment, breaking language barriers and helping Korean music gain mainstream acceptance worldwide. The group, consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, has previously received multiple Grammy nominations and has repeatedly pushed for greater recognition of K-pop within the academy’s major award categories.