The story behind the formidable writer duo — Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar — will be brought to the screen in a documentary produced by their children, superstar Salman Khan, actor Farhan Akhtar and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar.
Titled “Angry Young Men”, the documentary will be directed by Namrata Rao, known for her work as an editor on movies such as “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!”, “Ishqiya”, “Band Baaja Baaraat” and “Kahaani”.
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The documentary will be produced as a joint venture under three banners -- Salman Khan’s Salman Khan Films; Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment; and Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Tiger Baby Films. “The project will capture the magic of the era that Salim-Javed, together created,” read a statement from the producers.
Known as Salim-Javed, the duo revolutionised Indian cinema in the 1970s, with their films like “Zanjeer”, “Sholay” and “Deewar”, which spoke to the masses.
They are credited for reinventing the Bollywood blockbuster format through their films, playing to the gallery but also chronicling the angst of their times. Salim-Javed were also noted for being the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status. After collaborating on 22 Bollywood films as well as two Kannada films, the duo decided to split in 1982.
The title of the documentary, “Angry Young Men”, refers to the angry young man hero-type the duo created in the 70s, which became a cinematic representation of the era and also gave birth to Amitabh Bachchan’s stardom.
