Salim-Javed Prime Video Doc Series ‘Angry Young Men’ Unwrapped

Prime Video premieres “Angry Young Men,” a three-part documentary series that chronicles the personal and professional journey of legendary screenwriting duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, collectively known as Salim-Javed.

Produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media & Entertainment and Tiger Baby, the docu-series is executive produced by Salma Khan, Salman Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. It explores how Salim-Javed revolutionized Indian cinema in the 1970s by reinventing the Bollywood formula, introducing ‘angry young man’ heroes to a romance-dominated industry and popularizing the action drama genre. The original ‘angry young man’ was Amitabh Bachchan who, after a string of mediocre films, began his journey to superstardom with Prakash Mehra’s “Zanjeer” (1973), written by Salim-Javed.

When producer Zoya Akhtar, daughter of Javed Akhtar, set out to capture their story, she knew it was a story long overdue. “I grew up watching these films,” Akhtar said Variety. “There’s a generation that doesn’t know them, and there’s no one else that has managed to create that kind of noise, garner that kind of attention, make that kind of impact and maintain that kind of influence in the industry, purely and simply. writers.”

The series explores the collaboration between Salim and Javed, who co-wrote 24 films, 22 of them blockbusters, before splitting in 1982. Featuring rare archival material, the series offers a nostalgic glimpse into their personal relationships, camaraderie and creative genius. highlighting their iconic characters and blockbusters such as ‘Deewar’, ‘Don’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Trishul’ and ‘Dostana’. It also features heartfelt reflections from industry figures like Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan, Yash and Kareena Kapoor Khan, highlighting the significant impact Salim-Javed had on their careers. Family members offering their perspectives include Salman Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar, Arbaaz Khan, Honey Irani, Helen and Shabani Azmi, in addition to Salim-Javed herself.

The series marks the directorial debut of Namrata Rao, known for her work as an editor on projects such as “Kahaani” and Zoya Akhtar’s “Lust Stories” and “Ghost Stories” and “Made in Heaven.” “We talked about this a lot, and I got really excited about it, and after two years, Zoya asked me to direct the film,” Rao said. Variety. “I was over the moon, I thought it was a great subject.”

Rao’s perspective as a filmmaker outside the Salim-Javed families provided a fresh approach to the documentary. “Even I was apprehensive at first,” Rao admits, “and I also told Zoya, I mean, we discussed it, and she was also clear that we didn’t want to do a birthday video or a puff.” This prompted Rao to tackle some challenging aspects of the Salim-Javed story. “I went all the way for it. I mean, I asked them a lot of awkward questions, and surprisingly they were very cool about it,” she reveals. The writers’ openness to tackling difficult topics stems from their storytelling instincts, as Rao explains: “I think somewhere they also believed that good stories need black, white and everything in between. You know, it’s not just ‘we’re great.’ So they were very good at it. In fact, they love these parts themselves.”

Akhtar added: “I think it was interesting to take a female look at these very masculine performers and the character they created [the angry young man] was extremely masculine… and to find out what led to this anger and what these wounds were that led to this character appearing on screen.

The production faced several challenges, including shooting during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were shooting with a lot of old people,” says Rao. “We shot with masks and distance. Some people we had to photograph from very far away.”

Another major obstacle was the lack of a proper archiving culture in the Indian film industry. “For the tenders, we have more than 500 assets from different manufacturers from all over the world. It took us almost a year to put them together,” explains Rao. Akhtar adds: “To find out who owns what, where did this fragment come from, where did that photo come from – that was a bit of a challenge.”

Despite these obstacles, both Akhtar and Rao found the process worthwhile. For Rao, there was a sense of providence throughout the production. “Every step of the way we hit a dead end, but something opened up,” she says.

Akhtar’s highlight was the launch of the series’ trailer, which brought together the families of both Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. “For them to find closure in their professional lives together, I think that was the highlight for me,” she says.

The documentary aims to answer the long-standing question of why Salim and Javed broke up, although Akhtar notes: “The straw that broke the camel’s back, I don’t think they tell anyone personally.”

As for what they hope audiences take away from the series, both emphasize the inspirational aspect of Salim-Javed’s story. “Go for it. Have your conviction and pursue it,” says Akhtar. Rao adds, “It’s a story about faith. It’s a story about dreaming big, and a story about saying that even if you have nothing, it doesn’t mean it will be that way.”

‘Angry Young Men’ not only chronicles the rise of two legendary screenwriters who captured the zeitgeist of the 1970s, but also sheds light on the current state of screenwriting in Bollywood. As Akhtar notes, “Right now, things are really fragmented and writers are writing in silos. Very few actually get across when they speak for an entire generation.”

The series will stream from August 20.