‘You Grow Apart From Those Who Were Part Of Your Life Earlier’

‘One
person
says
let
us
move
ahead,
the
other
doesn’t
want
to.’

Namrata
Rao’s
docu-series

Angry
Young
Men
says
a
lot
about
the
Salim-Javed
partnership,
but
nothing
about
their
split.

When

Subhash
K
Jha
asks
Javed
Akhtar
about
it,
he
replies,
“I
can’t
help
you
with
that.
We
parted
ways.
What
happened,
even
our
wives
don’t
have
the
answer.
Neither
of
us
has
ever
spoken
in
the
media.
We
have
always
been
very
civil
and
dignified,
and
we
maintain
a
cordial
relationship.

“If
there
comes
a
time
in
their
life
when
people
have
to
separate
from
somebody,
a
partner
or
a
spouse,
this
is
how
it
should
be.
There
is
no
kind
of
acrimony.

“Although
it
is
very
dramatic
and
exciting
to
believe
that
something
happened,
like
the
wives
had
a
fight,
they
had
no
connection
(with
the
split).
They
still
don’t
know
the
details
of
our
relationship.

“Writing
and
scripting
is
a
creative
process.
It
is
not
an
industry.
You
don’t
have
any
scale
or
litmus
test.
In
a
creative
collaboration,
the
mental
compatibility
is
imperative.
When
you’re
unsuccessful,
you
are
a
struggler
and
start
as
nobody.
Then,
you
only
have
yourself
to
look
out
for.

“When
you
move
forward
in
life,
you
form
new
relationships
and
friendships.
Your
priorities
change.
Many
dormant
desires,
ambitions,
interests
and
hobbies
start
emerging
because
now
your
basic
problem
of
earning
a
living
is
solved
and
you
are
doing
well.

“So
you
grow
apart
from
those
who
were
a
part
of
your
life
earlier.

“One
person
says
let
us
move
ahead,
the
other
doesn’t
want
to.
I
can’t
give
you
any
other
explanation.”

“Arjun
came
along
for
me
right
after
the
split,”
Javedsaab
says
about
the
1985
film,
starring
Sunny
Deol
and
Dimple
Kapadia.

“I
didn’t
get
an
opportunity
to
regret
the
split
because
of

Arjun.
I
became
a
successful
songwriter
and
solo
screenwriter.
The
decision
in
retrospective
seems
justified.
I
feel
Salimsaab
and
I
had
reached
the
pinnacle
of
our
productivity.
We
could
only
move
downward.”

Why
are
there
no
other
celebrity
writers
besides
Salim-Javed
in
Hindi
cinema?

“There
was
one
before
us:
Pandit
Mukhram
Sharma,”
Javedsaab
says.

“His
name
used
to
be
on
the
banner.
So
when

Dhool
Ka
Phool
released,
it
was
‘B
R
Chopra
presents
Pandit
Mukhram
Sharma’s

Dhool
Ka
Phool
directed
by
Yash
Chopra’.
There
was
a
lot
of
respect
for
him.
Pandit
Mukhram
Sharma
had
his
own
identity.

“I
will
not
say
that
we
do
not
have
very
good
writers.
People
do
not
believe
in
your
abilities
after
just
one
film.
You
have
to
prove
yourself
again
and
again.
You
have
to
create
a
track
record.”