Angry Young Men a sanitized look at brilliant duo’s innings

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Let me get straight to the point: Salim-Javed need no certificates. Having known both well (from the time they were persona non-grata with each other) and met each one repeatedly, I am also a fan of their writing and the changes they brought into Hindi film content, right from their first film as screenplay writers (Haathi Mere Saathi) to their last celebrated film that Javed modified and also wrote lyrics for (Mr. India).

Most importantly, I know them as people and among my cherished experiences is when I visited Salim-saab at his house for Ganesh Darshan, and also inviting him for a family wedding, and I also interacted extensively with Javed-saab when he was passionately fighting for the Copyright Amendments Act in Parliament.

Salim-saab is the personification of humility, genuine secularism, warmth and matter-of-fact frankness, while Javed-saab is the epitome of logic and pragmatism. Both, of course, were tremendously witty and humorous, and emerged as a worthy heir to his lyricist father, Jan Nissar Akhtar.

With all this background, I must admit that I can understand the content of the docu-series on them, Angry Young Men, but I must say that I was more than a tad disappointed with it as well. I use the word “understand” as with their respective children, Salman Khan (under Salman Khan Films) and Farhan (Excel Entertainment) with Zoya (Tiger Baby Films) being the producers, they would love to generate hero-worship (easily done anyway) for this iconic duo that took the Hindi film script and hero to new heights. Controversies, weaknesses and actual reasons for their split in the 1980s that shook the industry are best avoided—or minimized, they would rightly feel, Nothing, therefore, of their post-split work is also highlighted, and we have Zoya Akhtar perpetuating the myth that they had only two flops in 24 jointly written “blockbusters”.

Now that needs instant correction. Officially, they wrote twenty-one films together—because for Adhikar (1971, also a jubilee but not a blockbuster), they did not get credit. Yes, they did have only two flops (Imaan Dharam in 1977 and Zamana in 1985), but then Kaala Patthar, Shaan and Shakti were such expensively mounted films that they were only touted as “hits”. It is said that the first two did not even recover their investments in their initial theatrical runs, while Shakti was a moderate success. Another film that did very average business was Aakhri Daao, but in the year of Deewaar and Sholay, it was relegated by the media to the shadows.

But perhaps the most prominent falsehood (regrettably now a part of “Bollywood” lore!) is the mention that Sholay was a flop initially! I remember (for a very valid reason) the date on which I went to Mumbai’s New Excelsior cinema around 11 in the morning—it was the day the advance bookings opened for its August 15 release and New Excelsior was the only one of two theatres that was showing the film in 70 mm. I was thus witness to the fact that a queue of (at a conservative estimate) at least a 100 people that went around the theatre and the surrounding block was in line!!

A concession, perhaps, is made with Honey Irani stating that the duo did turn arrogant, and Jaya Bachchan calling them “brats”. But we get little by way of what elements they chose to include in all their stories, how and why, which could probably provide illumination to young writers today to spin out cult commercial classics. This would have been particularly enlightening given the shape the Hindi film industry is in today, instead of the raves by the Varun Grovers and Rajkumar Hiranis and the opinions of an Anjum Rajabali, who belongs to a completely different film school. The participating journalists in the docu-series also contribute little by way of pith to the life story, with some misrepresentations added as well.

Also, when Salim and Javed have been open about their inspirations in general, which has happened in Andaz, Seeta Aur Geeta, Haath Ki Safai, Majboor, Aakhri Daao, Sholay, Deewaar, Don and Shaan, the rationale behind choosing their original sources and their reworking ethic would have made for truly rewarding listening. Composers Pyarelal, Anandji and Rajesh Roshan could have also shed light on how their scripts inspired them as they wrote complete scripts (with shot divisions) at a time when dialogues and often the screenplay (or scenario) was written on sets. I would also have loved details from the horses’ mouths of how the two interacted with their songwriters, because the significant ones (Anand Bakshi, Majrooh, Gulshan Bawra, Indeevar, Anjaan, Hasrat Jaipuri and Sahir) are no more anyway.

I personally feel that the contribution of Dharmendra (who was the first actor thrilled with the Zanjeer script and had paid them Rs. 2500 for it, and has done four films with them, and one each later with Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan) could have been much more. Amitabh Bachchan is barely there too (considering he was the Angry Young Man tht they created in the rebellious 1970s: he has been a part of 11 of their 21 films, and they had initially written Mr. India with him in mind, besides working with them separately later!). I also missed Raakhee, Neetu Singh and even Zeenat Aman.

Instead, we had Hrithik Roshan speaking like a rapturous school kid, and Aamir Khan indulging in hyperbole about writers in general! (Incidentally, no mention was made of the very interesting trivia here that Salim-Javed’s Yaadon Ki Baraat was the first-ever film of Aamir as a child artiste!).

And speaking of a Yaadon Ki Baraat, a line could have been dropped about how Nasir Husain wrote its dialogue, ditto Manoj Kumar for Kranti and Prayag Raj was credited with the “story” of Chacha Bhatija. These three shared Salim-Javed script credits after Zanjeer!

And step-motherly treatment has also been given to movies like Haath Ki Safai, Majboor, Aakhri Daao, Chacha Bhatija and even Dostana (which was declared an ordinary script among their lot!) and Kranti.

True-blue Hindi cinema lovers like Rohit Shetty, Neeraj Pandey, David Dhawan and Anees Bazmee, who never mouth names of foreign filmmakers as idols, could also, perhaps, have been roped in for their views and influences, if any, as also S.S. Rajamouli and his writer-father, V. Vijayendra Prasad who have openly expressed their firm admiration for the duo, who have also influenced their work.

Namrata Rao has been an ace editor (2 States, Kahaani, Ahalya, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway) and her directorial (and editing) skills are on full display here. But we cannot fault her for material that has not been included, can we?

That said, I loved the emotional narration of Javed Akhtar over how we went without food, of Salim stating that he never wrote home to ask for money in his struggling days, of how the kids would play with each other and Salman taught Zoya and Farhan how to cycle and so on, but more detailing was definitely needed for how their families and, more vitally, Salim and Javed themselves used to feel after their separation! Salim Khan’s theory of marriages he attended going on the rocks was as amusing as it was poignant and thus not being witness for Javed’s first marriage to Honey Irani was about the closest glimpse to their bond that we see here.

All in all, this is a cosmetically great view but one wishes that it had (far) more substance, instead of superficial audience appeal. In other words, a fan-like view remains far less important that facts and depth if someone’s life and monumental work had to be documented.