Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar on Sunday said everyone has the right to propagate his or her ideas through creative works, pushing back against the labelling of certain films as propaganda.

Akhtar was speaking to reporters after receiving a special award from Kolkata-based jewellery brand P. C. Chandra Jewellers, when asked about recent films being tagged as propaganda.

“I don't know what you mean by propaganda films. I loved Dhurandhar, which was an excellent film. I loved the first one more than the second one,” he said.

“Every story takes some stand, but does it become propaganda because the narrative isn't suited to a section of the audience? Everyone has the right to propagate his ideas. What is wrong with propaganda films? The task of every filmmaker is to present the truth,” Akhtar said.

He added that even films rooted in fantasy inevitably carry an ideological underpinning.

Asked about a warrant issued against Bengali poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay over a poem written about a decade ago, Akhtar said he did not have sufficient information to comment.

On identifying as an atheist, he said, “An atheist thinks inherently, is without prejudice, thinks rationally.... I was invited by the West Bengal Urdu Academy for an event last year that was cancelled." "This is only the problem of those having religious close-mindedness who have little tolerance,” he said, referring to objections raised by certain Islamist groups that led to the event being called off.

Akhtar also said every film carries a moral that may be interpreted differently by audiences. “Films are like mirrors. With the passage of time, morality changes, and aspirations change. As the society changes, content changes,” he said.

He added that he would like to eventually make a mainstream film appealing to both class and mass audiences.

On the political shift marked by the Bharatiya Janata Party coming to power at the Centre in 2014, Akhtar said change is inevitable. “Sometimes changes are undesirable and sometimes desirable. I generally believe the younger generation is better than my generation. They will make this society much better,” he said.