Angry Young Men Review: Seeking Salim-Javed

Angry
Young
Men
gloats
in
Salim-Javed’s
well-known
attributes
yet
never
gains
access
into
the
process
or
passion
behind
one
of
Indian
cinema’s
greatest
chemistries
at
work,
observes
Sukanya
Verma.

Do
Aadmi
Thay.

This
dialogue
from

Sholay
could
well
be
the
opening
line
of
Salim-Javed’s
inspiring
journey.
It’s
as

KGF
star
Yash
says,
‘It’s
not
just
dialogue,
it’s
philosophy.’

In
the
duo’s
own
words,

is
story

mein
emotion

hai,
drama

hai,
tragedy

hai.

The
history
of
Hindi
cinema
cannot
be
told
without
Salim
Khan
and
Javed
Akhtar’s
glorious
contribution.

Early
in
the
1970s,
two
forces
of
nature
joined
hands
to
form
a
formidable
team,
realising
their
combination
has
the
power
to
revolutionise
things,
especially
at
a
time
Bollywood
was
in
a
desperate
need
of
waking
up
from
its
swinging
’60s
stupor.

Bound
by
their
mutual
love
for
storytelling,
Salim-Javed
devised
masterful
ways
of
drawing
larger-than-life
figures
rooted
in
reality,
which
touched
a
chord
as
intently
as
it
evoked
a
desire
to
take
charge
and
find
our
inner
Vijay
(victory),
be
it
man,
woman
or
child.

Creating
conflicts
and
characters
as
emotional
as
they
were
expressive,
their
voices
found
a
towering
form
in
Amitabh
Bachchan’s
tall
frame
and
booming
baritone,
resulting
in
the
most
quoted
brand
of
all
times,
imprinting
the
DNA
of
future
filmmakers
while
laying
the
foundation
of
pop
culture
legacy.

For
an
industry
that
describes
itself
as
‘show’
business,
never
before
had
two
behind-the-scenes
members
achieved
such
unprecedented
stardom
on
the
strength
of
their
diligent
screenplay
and
delightful
dialoguebaazi.

‘They
introduced
the
age
of
the
writer,’
summarises
Mahesh
Bhatt.

Angry
Young
Men,
Amazon
Prime
Video’s
three
part
docu-series
directed
by
National
Award-winning
editor
Namrata
Rao
applauds
the
journey
of
these
two
iconic
writers
in
the
words
of
their
family
and
fraternity.
But
of
course,
nobody
narrates
their
story
better
than
the
storytellers
themselves.

Ironically
enough,
the
coming
together
of
this
epic
partnership
is
played
out
solo.

The
duo
only
reunites
in
the
final
scene
like
characters
usually
do
in
the
movies.

Salim-Javed’s
accomplishments
might
be
a
revelation
for
a
generation
that
knows
them
as
the
original
masterminds
of
the

Don
franchise.
But
for
those
of
us
who
lived
and
breathed
every
frame
of
blockbusters
like

Zanjeer,
Sholay,
Deewar,
Don,
Trishul,
Shakti
and

Seeta
Aur
Geeta,
their
magic
and
our
nostalgia
remain
intertwined.

 

Angry
Young
Men
walks
down
memory
lane,
capturing
two
immigrants
from
Madhya
Pradesh
arriving
in
Mumbai
hoping
to
make
it
big
(originally
as
actor
and
director
respectively),
only
to
face
challenges
marked
by
hardships
and
humiliation.

As
the
twain
reminisce
about
their
childhood
days,
dad’s
presence,
mom’s
absence,
how
they
met,
shoddy
treatment
of
writers
back
in
the
day,
one’s
pride,
another’s
pluck,
impulsive
first
loves,
complicated
second
marriages
and
a
split
that
no
one
saw
coming,
Salim-Javed
underscore
how
much
they
poured
their
lives
and
opinions
in
their
creations,
how
much
they
complement
each
other
even
in
their
differences.

Achieving
that
elusive
balance,
Salim
Khan’s
ideas,
intensity
and
excitement
found
an
artistic
soulmate
in
Javed
Akhtar’s
poetry,
polish
and
rhythm.

Given
that
the
documentary
is
jointly
produced
by
their
children,
the
tone
alternates
between
awe
and
sentiment,
which
makes
the
candour
and
cheek
of
Javed’s
first
wife
and
child
actor-turned-writer
Honey
Irani’s
interjections
rather
refreshing.

The
couple
first
met
on
the
sets
of

Seeta
Aur
Geeta
and
remain
good
friends
and
devoted
parents
to
Farhan
and
Zoya
except
her
disregard
for
diplomacy
is
worth
a
documentary
of
its
own.

From
calling
out
Salim-Javed’s
lack
of
humility
to
teasing
her
ex
at
every
opportunity,
Honey
doesn’t
mince
words.
Nor
does
their

chaku
churiyan-peddling
leading
lady
in

Zanjeer,
Jaya
Bachchan,
dubbing
the
duo
‘brats’
yet
acknowledging
their
skill
as
‘one
body,
one
mind,
one
mouth,
one
voice.’

Namrata
Rao’s
editing
prowess
shows
in
her
choice
of
scenes
and
dialogues
cutting
and
transitioning
into
the
mood.

But
her
feebly
posed
questions
and
failure
to
provide
fresh
insights
or
dynamic
information
beyond
common
knowledge
render
the
documentary
impersonal
despite
a
surfeit
of
celebrity
attendance,
archival
footage
and
media
pundits
gushing
about
their
lasting
impact.
Of
these,
the
collaboration’s
biggest
benefactor
Amitabh
Bachchan’s
staid
appreciation
disappoints
the
most.

You’ll
find
tete-e-tetes
between
Arbaaz
Khan
and
his
dad
as
well
as
his
erstwhile
partner-in-crime
on
his
chat
show,

The
Invincibles
saying
the
same
thing,
sometimes
in
the
exact
same
words
too.

Diptakirti
Chaudhari’s
meticulously
put
together
book,

Written
By
Salim-Javed:
The
Story
Of
Hindi
Cinema’s
Greatest
Screenwriters
teems
with
tales
and
trivia.
So
the
monotony
is
inevitable
when
that
amusing
episode
of
the
writers
stamping

Zanjeer
posters
with
their
credit
all
over
town
on
their
personal
tab
is
recounted
for
the
nth
time
as
is
the
story
of
the
initially

thanda
response
to

Sholay.

Geeking
over

Zanjeer,
Deewar,
Sholay
and

Don
has
reached
the
point
of
saturation.

Wish

Angry
Young
Men
had
explored
the
lore
behind
underrated
gems
like

Shakti
or
disputed
credits
in

Kranti
instead.

Wish
there
was
epilogue
addressing
their
solo
careers
sans
the
safety
net
of
the
Salim-Javed
identity.

Wish
their
rationality
behind
a
predominantly
male-centric
universe
yet,
occasionally
strong,
stand
out
female
characters
received
more
discussion
space.

A
few
thoughts
on
Parveen
Babi’s
unapologetic
nonconformist
in

Deewar
or
Waheeda
Rehman’s
revengeful
mother
in

Trishul,
perhaps?

The
reasons
behind
their
professional
split
too
remain
an
enigma,
save
for
the
sun
had
set
on
their
partnership
logic.
Weaving
in
the
contemporary
writer’s
woes
feels
more
like
a
contrivance
than
a
natural
progression
in
the
third
act
of
their
profile.

The
idea
behind

Angry
Young
Men
isn’t
too
different
from



The
Romantics,
another
home
production
paying
a
fond
tribute
to
its
patriarch’s
body
of
work.

What
made
Yash
Chopra’s
hagiography
worthwhile
was
his
famously
reclusive
successor
Aditya
Chopra
stepping
out
from
the
shadows
to
give
a
rare
glimpse
of
himself
and
his
mind.

Salim-Javed’s
documentary
lacks
that
IT
factor,
a
sense
of
exclusivity
befitting
their
legend.

Angry
Young
Men
gloats
in
Salim-Javed’s
well-known
attributes
yet
never
gains
access
into
the
process
or
passion
behind
one
of
Indian
cinema’s
greatest
chemistries
at
work.

Clearly,
Don

ko
pakadna
mushkil
hi
nahi
namumkin
hai.

Angry
Young
Men
streams
on
Amazon
Prime
Video.