In the 1970s, the spiritual leader Osho, then called Bhagwan Rajneesh, began gaining a big following. Many famous Bollywood stars were attracted to his teachings. Actor Vinod Khanna even gave up his film career and moved to the US to live in Osho’s commune. Director Mahesh Bhatt also explored Osho’s ideas. Before moving to Oregon, Osho preached at his ashram in Pune, where screenwriter Javed Akhtar used to attend his sermons.Paying Rs 10 Daily to AttendIn a recent interview with The Lallantop, Javed Akhtar revealed that he has visited only one ashram in his life. He talked about his time in Pune when Osho, then known as Rajneesh, held morning sermons from 8 to 9:30 am. Javed used to stay at a hotel nearby and would attend the sermons daily, buying a ticket for Rs 10 each time, while working on writing dialogues over about 20-22 days.The ace screenwriter who identifies as an atheist, shared that while he is not a follower of Osho, he appreciated his teachings because Osho did not promote any particular ideology. He described Osho as a learned professor who spoke eloquently on various topics, often changing his views from day to day. Javed also mentioned that he remembers some of Osho’s sermons by heart.Brief Encounters with Baba RamdevAkhtar also mentioned that he has met Baba Ramdev before, briefly greeting him from a distance at the wedding of Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s daughter.Meeting Sadhguru and Possible RiftJaved Akhtar also talked about meeting Sadhguru Jaggi twice but hasn’t met him since. He heard that Sadhguru might avoid events if Javed is invited, though he isn’t sure if it’s true. Javed said he has no problem and would be happy to meet him again.
