Angry Young Men: Half Baked Story

When the teaser of “Angry Young Men” appeared on Prime Video, there was a strong urge to watch the documentary series. The teaser features various celebrities talking about the iconic duo Salim-Javed, along with the duo themselves discussing their work. It also includes film clips from Amitabh Bachchan’s movies, like the famous dialogue, “Main aaj bhi pheke hue paise nahi uthata.” For those who lived through the golden era of Bachchan, this series is a must-watch.

“Angry Young Men” is a new three-part documentary series on Amazon Prime, directed by Namrata Rao.

As I watched it, I couldn’t help but feel that it’s like a half-baked cake. You enjoy watching the process and wait eagerly for the final outcome, but when you finally get to taste it, it’s not fully done. That was my reaction.

However, despite this, it’s definitely a one-time watch for film buffs like us. I won’t go into all the details of each film or what people said but will focus on the specific elements and incidents that people are more interested in.

Let’s start with the good parts:

Salim-Javed, who came from well-off families in Indore and Gwalior, respectively, arrived in Mumbai to pursue their dreams. They worked hard, often going hungry, facing disagreements and failures, but they never thought of giving up. The two accidentally met on the set of the film Sarhadi Lootera. Salim Khan was a small-time actor, and Sarhadi Lootera was one of the last films he acted in before he turned his focus to writing. Javed Akhtar was a clapper boy for the film and was later made the dialogue writer.

This marked the beginning of their bond.

Both Salim and Javed were outsiders in the film industry, but they shared the same zeal to do something different. They both had a natural flair for writing and storytelling, but unfortunately, they had to take up other jobs to earn money. But as they say, if you love your work, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. The same happened with them when they got their first film Andaz, and the rest is history.

Now, let’s discuss the shortcomings:

The film industry owes Amitabh Bachchan’s rise to Salim-Javed. Without Zanjeer, the industry might not have had the ultimate superstar, and the story behind this casting is fascinating. However, the documentary fails to delve into the details of Amitabh’s journey during that period. It would have been insightful to know the director’s approach, how Salim-Javed convinced Prakash Mehra, and why he agreed to cast Bachchan. This story is significant because the success of Zanjeer not only elevated

Amitabh but also cemented Salim-Javed’s legacy. The documentary misses out on these crucial firsts in their careers.

When Zanjeer happened and the industry went crazy for Amitabh and Salim-Javed, how were those days? Did anything change in the way they were treated? The series could have explored these aspects more widely.

Both Sholay and Deewar were released in the same year, and both films are iconic. They firmly established Amitabh as the “angry young man. While Deewar won all the awards and Sholay missed out, the series mentions this but doesn’t provide enough insight into what was happening during the shooting of these films. What were the actors’ perspectives? There must have been many interesting incidents during that time that could have been discussed.

One of the best movies, Shakti, was not even discussed, which makes the series feel incomplete. Shakti is one of Amitabh’s finest performances, where he stood his ground against the legendary Dilip Kumar, despite having limited scope in the film. This should have been elaborated on and discussed in depth.

The series also lacks discussion about the relationship between Salim-Javed and various actors. This aspect could have been explored more. Additionally, the documentary fails to address the specific roles each of them played in their work. Sharing their experiences regarding dialogue writing and screenplay would have been very interesting.

The most important part missing from the documentary is the reason behind Salim-Javed’s split. While the family members and industry insiders talk about it, the duo themselves don’t say much. The series doesn’t delve into how the industry reacted post-split, whether any stars approached them, who those stars were, and what their reactions were. No one took the initiative to address the split, and the documentary doesn’t explain why.

Despite these gaps, the series will resonate with the 70s-80s generation, as they experienced those days firsthand and enjoyed them. For the younger generation, this series should serve as a reference book, showcasing the struggles of Salim-Javed, the history they created, and, most importantly, their brilliance. They were absolute geniuses who crafted some of the best movie dialogues and scenes ever.

That’s why they were paid more than Amitabh Bachchan himself for the film Dostana—such was the power of Salim-Javed.

(The writer is a communication professional. Views personal)