Pakistan, Sept. 27 -- Veteran Indian screenwriter and lyricist, Javed Akhtar addressed the claims of his Bollywood hits 'Zanjeer' and 'Sholay' being copied from western classics.

Recently, Indian actor Adil Hussain pointed out the similarities between the key sequences of the cult hit 'Sholay' and a Western classic, 'Once Upon a Time in the West' by iconic filmmaker, Sergio Leone. Addressing the rumours in a recently-released book, 'Talking Life: Javed Akthar in Conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir', the veteran screenwriter wrote, "As I have said, we were influenced by Sergio Leone. But 'Sholay' was not based on his epic film."

In the excerpt from the same book, Akhtar also touched upon the claims of another of their hit with Amitabh ...