Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan’s documentary, Angry Young Men, is finally out on Prime Video. The three-part series looks at how Salim-Javed changed Hindi cinema in the 1970s with their powerful scripts and the famous ‘Angry Young Man’ character. Featuring insights from the duo and industry stars, it shows how their work in blockbusters like Sholay, Deewaar, and Don captured a generation and made a lasting cultural impact. As Amitabh Bachchan was the star of several Salim-Javed films, his kids Shweta Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan also made an appearance in the series.
Shweta Bachchan remarked on how in several of Salim-Javed’s films, the mother’s character was an “emotional tug” while the conflict was always with the father. This was further emphasised in the series by highlighting that both Salim and Javed lost their mothers at young ages.
Salim Khan also mentioned that he used to be quite scared of his father. It was only after he lost his mother to tuberculosis that he became close to his father. As for Javed Akhtar, he’d often “fantasize” about fathers, living away from his own father. Javed Akhtar’s father lived in a one-bedroom setup in Mumbai and was not in a financial position to call his family to live with him.
Later in the show, Abhishek and Shweta made an appearance again while recalling their father’s cult hit, Sholay. Abhishek Bachchan said that while Salim-Javed are famous for several one-liners, his favourite remains, “Basanti, tumhara naam kya hai?”
The series also highlighted how Sholay was declared a flop upon its release and was heavily slammed in trade papers. While Ramesh Sippy suggested that they change the film’s ending to keep Amitabh Bachchan’s character alive, Salim-Javed backed their project with confidence and called the negative reviews “nonsense”. They decided to wait for the weekend to pass and after Monday, the film “became history”.
Abhishek Bachchan recalled, “I just remember my father telling me that they gave the best narrations because they told me a story. It was like an orchestra. He said they were so in sync.” Amitabh Bachchan worked with Salim-Javed in films like Deewar, Zanjeer, Majboor and Trishul among others.
As for Angry Young Men is produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media & Entertainment and Tiger Baby. It is executive produced by Salma Khan, Salman, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan, Zoya and Reema Kagti and directed by Namrata Rao.
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