Mumbai, May 14 -- Can you imagine buying a big house in Mumbai just by writing songs and film scripts? That's exactly what famous lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar did in the 1970s. He bought a 4,000 sq. ft bungalow in Bandra Bandstand, one of Mumbai's most expensive areas today, for just Rs. 5 lakh!

In an interview, when someone jokingly asked if he was the first person to buy a house using only words, Javed smiled and said, "I don't know. Maybe I should visit everyone's home to check!"

When Writing Could Buy You Land

Back in those days, people in the film industry sometimes got land or homes as payment instead of money. Javed shared the story of Sahir Ludhianvi, a well-known poet. He was given a plot of land in Juhu by filmmaker B.R. ...