Writers who earned more money than India's highest-paid actors, were called arrogant; gave more hits than Aamir, Hrithik

Trailer of the docu series Angry Young Men was unveiled by Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday. The three-part series chronicles the journey of Bollywood’s most successful screenwriting team – Salim-Javed. While both the writers have gone on to have successful solo careers, Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan flourished best as a team. The trailer of the docu series gave a glimpse at that peak and also how they were bigger than even the stars themselves.

The glory days of Salim-Javed

Salim Khan was a struggling actor in the 60s and Javed Akhtar an aspiring writer. The two met during the making of Sarhadi Lootera and became friends. It was in 1971 that they decided to team up as writers. Their first films together were Adhikar and Andaz (both in 1971). Rajesh Khanna helped them get credited for their work in Haathi Mere Saathi later that year. Both this and Andaz were big hits helping them establish themselves as screenwriters of note. Over the next decade, they wrote 21 more movies together, of which 20 were blockbusters. These included Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Don, Kranti, Shakti, and Mr India.

When Salim-Javed were paid more than even the actors

By the late-70s, Salim-Javed were among the biggest names in Hindi cinema, having delivered blockbusters like Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Zanjeer, Deewar, and Sholay. Angry Young Men trailer showed that during this time, they began to demand Rs 1 lakh more than the hero as their fees as their belief was that their names on the poster drew in more audience than the actors. Salim-Javed were reportedly paid Rs 21 lakh per film while Amitabh Bachchan, India’s highest-paid actor earned Rs 20 lakh. Others like Rajesh Khanna (Rs 12 lakh), Shatrughan Sinha (Rs 10 lakh) and Rishi Kapoor (Rs 10 lakh) earned even less. “Can you imagine if a writer today asked for a crore more than, say, Salman Khan? That was the power of Salim-Javed,” filmmaker Karan Johar is seen remarking in the trailer.

The end of Salim-Javed’s journey

Eventually, in the early 80s, Salim-Javed split. A lot has been written and said about the split but the most common theory is that they developed friction due to ‘ego issues’. Of the 24 films they wrote, 20 worked at the box office, including Sholay – the highest grossing Indian film ever. This hit count (20) is higher than the career hit count of many big actors like Hrithik Roshan (16), Raj Kapoor (17), Aamir Khan (19), and Sunny Deol (19). The four films of Salim-Javed that did not work were Aakhri Dao, Immaan Dharam, Kaala Patthar, and Shaan. The last released film of the partnership was Mr India in 1987.

All about Angry Young Men

The docu series traces Salim-Javed’s journey and their influence on Bollywood and pop culture as a whole. Heartfelt reflections from industry figures like Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Helen, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan, and Kareena Kapoor Khan further highlight the significant impact Salim-Javed had on their careers.

Produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media & Entertainment and Tiger Baby, Angry Young Men is executive produced by Salma Khan, Salman Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, and marks the directorial debut of Namrata Rao. Angry Young Men is set to premiere on Prime Video on August 20.

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