Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar worked together on 24 films in a period of 16 years (1971-1987), out of which 20 were blockbusters. This is something that Indian cinema had never experienced before, and the probability of seeing it surpassed by someone in the future is quite low. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar are hands-down the greatest screenwriter duo we have seen in the history of Hindi cinema. The duo always gets the credit for revolutionising Indian cinema and bringing screenwriters into the spotlight.
Over the decades, we have seen a series of critically acclaimed screenwriters like Basu Chatterjee, Rajkumar Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Sudhir Mishra, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Juhi Chaturvedi, Jaideep Sahni, and many more. However, none can come close to what Salim-Javed's duo has achieved in Hindi cinema, and it was surely much more than the box-office records. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar never considered teaming up with someone during their struggling days.
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Both of them were strong and knew that they had to struggle in order to make their place in the Hindi film industry. However, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar came together to form Hindi cinema's greatest screenwriter duo, Salim-Javed, because it was written in the stars. Before forming a pact, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar were quite unsuccessful in their individual careers as screenwriters. While Salim Khan couldn't shine as an actor and wasn't getting a lot of work, Javed Akhtar was also struggling, and he worked as a dialogue writer for Rs. 100.
It was during the shooting of Sarhadi Lootera that Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar met each other for the first time. While Salim was working in the film as an actor, Javed was a clapper boy for that movie. As days passed, the film's director, S.M. Sagar was unable to find a suitable dialogue writer for the film, and it was when Javed Akhtar approached him and showed him his work. S.M. Sagar was impressed by his work and gave him the chance to write dialogues for his film, Sarhadi Lootera.
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Due to the fact that Javed Akhtar was the dialogue writer of Sarhadi Lootera, he got the chance to work with Salim Khan, and this is how their friendship began. It was in 1971 when Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar decided to team up as they needed more success in their respective careers. While Salim used to build stories, Javed was exceptionally good as a dialogue writer, and together, they formed an impressive screenwriting duo that was ready to conquer the box office.
Salim-Javed's first film as a screenwriting duo was Adhikar (1971), which S.M. Sagar directed. In the same year, they signed another film, Andaz (1971), that featured the Hindi cinema superstar, Rajesh Khanna. Courtesy of their work in Andaz, Rajesh Khanna approached Salim Khan and asked him to make a script for Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), which was an official remake of Deiva Cheyal. Rajesh Khanna promised Salim Khan that if they managed to make a good script, he would ensure they get the money they deserve and the name in the film's credit roll.
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Salim Khan accepted the challenge and worked on the film's script with his partner, Javed Akhtar. As promised by Salim Khan, Haathi Mere Saathi succeeded and impressed the audiences, and Salim-Javed got their first mention in the credits. After this, they never looked back and worked as screenwriters in multiple blockbuster films, including Seeta Aur Geeta, Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Deewar, Sholay, Chacha Bhatija, Trishul, Don, Kaala Patthar, Dostana, Kranti, Shakti, Zamana, and Mr. India.
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Despite achieving so much success as a screenwriting duo in Hindi cinema, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar reportedly parted ways in 1982. As per multiple reports, Javed Akhtar wanted to write lyrics under the name of 'Salim-Javed', but Salim advised him to refrain from using the duo's name. After reportedly having a series of arguments, Javed dropped the idea of writing lyrics, but the disagreement had allegedly created a void between them. Not only this, Amitabh Bachchan's decision to not work in Mr India also contributed to the separation of Salim-Javed's bond.
According to multiple reports, Javed Akhtar was hurt by Amitabh Bachchan's refusal and advised his partner, Salim Khan, to stop working with Big B. However, Salim Khan turned down Javed's idea, which dealt another blow to their partnership. After some time, Javed attended Amitabh Bachchan's Holi party, where he reportedly blamed Salim Khan for conceptualising the idea of Mr India with Amitabh Bachchan. The miscommunication between the esteemed screenwriters ended their partnership.
However, even to this very day, it is not known whether it was Javed Akhtar or Salim Khan, who was responsible for their split. On August 13, 2024, Prime Video India dropped the official trailer of Angry Young Men, which is a three-part docu-series that takes the viewers inside the journey of Salim-Javed. Namrata Rao directs the series, and it is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on August 20, 2024. Will it finally reveal the actual reason behind their split? Well, we all are hoping it does.
What are your thoughts on Salim-Javed's journey and eventual separation? Let us know.
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