Angry Young Men review: A fabulous showcase of Salim-Javed’s cultural legacy

The 70s coincided with a time when post-independence optimism had more or less diminished in the country. The common man was livid with the establishment. Ethical/moral corruption was the order of the day. There were protests all around, with not enough food to feed and not enough jobs to fill the pockets of restless youngsters. The latent, volatile anger needed an outlet.

Indian cinema was never the same after the dawn of the Salim-Javed era. The writer duo—Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar—reimagined popular commercial cinema tropes with such vigour and angst that the personal became political. Nearly four decades after their unexpected fallout, Amazon Prime’s documentary, Angry Young Men, attempts to capture the cultural legacy of their association.

A warm, vibrant and free-flowing narrative

The three-episode series, while giving the Salim-Javed era its rightful due, isn’t merely reverential. It wears its heart on its sleeve and the director Namrata Rao churns a warm, vibrant and free-flowing narrative, reflecting the vulnerabilities of the star writers, unafraid of asking tough questions and discussing the not-so-rosy dimensions of their short-lived yet eventful story.

Cinema isn’t the only prism through which the Angry Young Men documentary tries to understand Salim-Javed. It tells the story of two confident, assured men, who bonded over lazy, seaside evenings at Bandra and film sets, brought together by the collective trauma of a loveless childhood, being denied of a mother’s love and their firm determination to rise above penury.

There are warm throwbacks to their early years in Bombay, the street where Salim, then a small-time actor (who thought of himself as James Dean) first met his future wife Salma and times when Akhtar slept at the costume room in Kamal Amrohi’s studio. Salim even refuses to be a witness at Akhtar’s wedding (with Honey Irani), fearing a sentiment (that his presence) could pull the couple apart.

Vivid, lively insights

After a chance meeting with a producer and helping him weave a screenplay as ghost writers (Adhikar-1971), the series encapsulates the gradual rise of the writer-duo in film circles with consecutive successes like Andaz (1971), Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) and Haathi Mere Saathi (1971). The primary focus (rightly so) remains on their three game-changing films—Zanjeer (1973), Deewar (1975) and Sholay (1975).

Besides inputs from the who’s who of Hindi cinema—Amitabh, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Ramesh Sippy, Salman Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Arbaaz Khan, Shabana Azmi, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra among others—the documentary is packed with vivid, lively insights from senior journalists, modern-day screenwriters, cultural commentators and industry aspirants.

Underlines the ethos of Salim-Javed’s brand of heroism 

Angry Young Men underlines the ethos of Salim-Javed’s brand of heroism in their films. There’s an emphasis on the rise of ‘Vijay’ as a cultural symbol, who battled the wounds of his childhood, challenged the system, and didn’t beat around the bush or go out of the way to woo his women. It understands the identifiability they brought to characters, within commercial cinema norms.

While Salim-Javed’s charismatic men, dialogues and their impact have been widely dissected over time, the writers take the opportunity to remind us they haven’t done a complete disservice to the female characters in the films either —say Sholay, Deewar, Don, Seeta Aur Geeta, Shakti—in terms of their agency and emotional resilience, if not screen space.

Angry Young Men pays heed to their snappy dialogue-writing finesse—with mentions of ‘Mere paas maa hai’, ‘Kitne aadmi the’ or ‘Tera naam kya hai Basanti’. Yet, it also speaks of the philosophies that made them one of a kind. The writers openly acknowledge the many inspirations that shaped their work and why originality may not always be the most vital ingredient in filmmaking.

All said and done, there’s nothing revelatory in terms of the film trivia in the show. However, the real takeaway is its effort to trace the over-confidence, the complacency that crept into their work while scoring hit after hit.

The aftermath of success 

Nothing fails like success, the duo admits their novelty had gradually become a formula after all and that it came with an expiry date (through missteps like Imaan Dharam, and Dostana).

Angry Young Men also takes a moment to appreciate the grace with which they parted ways. There’s no mudslinging or blame-gaming, but just a silent admission that the honeymoon was over. As Jaya Bachchan rightly points out, ‘Those were great times, even though short-lived. It’s impossible to discuss Hindi cinema without a chapter on Salim-Javed.’

Another significant standout aspect in Angry Young Men is Salim-Javed’s conviction in their scripts during their peak phase. Their efforts to bring a star status to the writer fraternity remain unparalleled—demanding adequate respect, remuneration and credits in the promotional material. The segment on the issue of their credit in Zanjeer (1973) has several whistle-worthy moments akin to a mass film.

A notable surprise is also the show’s attempt to examine the repercussions of Salim-Javed’s fame on their families—the partners and the kids. Arbaaz Khan says the fallout was a blessing in disguise, given it gave them more ‘daddy time’ at the house. Honey Irani mentions success eventually got to their head, taking a toll on her marriage with Akhtar and that they were better friends after the divorce.

The portions revolving around Shabana Azmi, Salma Khan, Helen and Honey Irani, emphasising their role in keeping the families together, through the highs and lows in the lives of the men, bring about a holistic dimension to the show. After Netflix’s The Romantics, Angry Young Men is a fabulous show on icons who’ve altered the Hindi film landscape beyond recognition.

Final take

As screenwriters continue to battle for recognition and good pay across industries, Angry Young Men is just the motivational dose they may need to persist, pursue and ‘fight the good fight.’

The comic-book style filmmaking with the right blend of humour, honesty, and self-reflection sets a tall standard for documentary filmmaking, worthy of emulation.

(Views expressed here are personal)

(Edited by S Subhakeerthana)

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