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 benefaciary 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.