A three-part docu-series on the life of the famed writer duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar is set to be released on August 20. Titled Angry Young Men, the series marks the directorial debut of editor Namrata Rao, who is known for editing films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) and Kahaani (2012) among others.
It is produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media & Entertainment and Tiger Baby, with Salma Khan, Salman Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti serving as executive producers.
According to a press release by the makers, the series features a candid narration by the duo themselves along with anecdotes from industry stalwarts. It chronicles how their hard-hitting scripts and the iconic 'Angry Young Man' persona they created captured the voice of a generation and left an enduring cultural impact through blockbusters like Sholay (1975), Deewaar (1975), Don (1978) and many more.
Speaking about it, Salman said in the press release, “Growing up, seeing my father and Javed Sahab work together on films was nothing short of magical. Their love for cinema redefined heroism for an entire generation, leaving behind a legacy of cult classics. Personally, I would love to see them working together in the future, I hope the fans and viewers can also agree. This series is close to both families. I hope this marks a new chapter for our dads, the angry young men, who are now older.”
Zoya added in her statement, “Angry Young Men is about the two men that created a character that pretty much defined Hindi cinema in the 70s. The story of Salim-Javed’s dynamic journey starting out from small towns to exploding onto the silver screen and how they put their hardships, their heartbreaks and their swag into their cinema.”
Farhan spoke of the passion of the two and said, “I remember everyone referring to my father and Salim uncle as Salim-Javed, a singular name; their names were never mentioned separately. Their journey was marked by grit, passion, and a fierce zeal to transform Hindi cinema, especially in its attitude towards the writer. They succeeded and in doing so, left an impression that still lives on generations after.”
The writer duo worked together on over 24 films from 1971 to 1987. After that, they parted ways and their split has been a point of discussion even now. Javed continues to write songs for films while Salim has been away from working in films for a while now.
