Angry Young Men - The Pathbreakers!

Angry Young Men

Hindi/English / Documentary

3 Episodes/45 mins each

Prime Video

Like me, if you have grown  following Hindi cinema of the 70s -  you would know  that Salim-Javed were the flag bearers of that era, with their genre defining story, screenwriting and dialogue.  Their outstanding Filmography , would feature in the career highlights of  so many Actors (Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra) and directors (Ramesh Sippy, Yash Chopra, Prakash Mehra). I was also pleasantly surprised  to know they were story/screenplay writers for two Kannada movies in 1976 featuring Dr Rajkumar!

The 3 part documentary covers their individual journeys, before coming together to  create cinema gold. After reaching dizzying heights of success (the story behind them hiring painters to label all the posters of Zanjeer with their names was funny!), they drifted apart, much to shock of the film industry. They now live dignified lives with their families, while their progeny continues to create their own legacy in Hindi cinema.

As a documentary, it effectively educates today's generation about their significance. It is nice to hear from so many people who were part of their journey and impacted by their stories. It is still pretty shallow and leaves you wanting more. Frankly, it feels like a companion piece  to  The Romantics (a similar documentary on Yash Chopra and his movies). While that too felt shallow, we at least had the pleasure of hearing from the reclusive Aditya Chopra.

I would love to know how the many wonderful sequences of Sholay and Shaan were written; how " Mera Baap Chor hai" and "Mere pass maa hai" of Deewaar happened, how the punchy "Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin ..naamumkin hai.." was made. Give me more! I wish their kids had the idea  few years earlier - perhaps a lovely podcast for each of those screenplays would be something we would all give hand and leg for! 

Films like ( Zanjeer, Sholay, Deewaar, Trishul, Don, Dostana, Kaala Patthar, Shaan, Shakti ) are career defining for Amitabh Bachchan, creating his towering on screen persona, book ending his years of peak stardom. No wonder this one of a kind writer duo were to demand one lakh rupees more than the lead actor, for their service. Safe to say that will never happen again in the history of Indian cinema!

They contemporized themes from the past (the good son bad son premise of Deewaar was already seen in Mother India, Ganga Jumna). They wove  western influences (Seven Samurai ,  Spaghetti westerns in Sholay, Shaan), peppering it with themes of 70's India, creating memorable characters (Gabbar, Vijay, Sher Khan, Teja, Don), tailoring it beautifully in a way that resonated brilliantly with the audiences.

1975 was the year which had Sholay and Deewaar both released. Next year will be the golden jubilee I hope and pray for the health of these gentlemen, so they get one last opportunity  to be recognized by this generation. Hopefully these movies re release in theatres next year to mark the occasion. 

I have wanted to watch Sholay and Deewaar (i missed the re release during Bachchan's 80th) on the big screen. It would be an absolute pleasure to rattle along every dialogue and cheer for so many of those memorable moments which Salim and Javed wrote. Moments which will always be part of my cinematic memories.