Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, the iconic writing duo, collaborated with the three biggest superstars of Indian cinema — Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Of these legends, Javed Akhtar mentioned that Rajesh Khanna was the most challenging to work with in view of the fact that he was constantly surrounded by ‘yes men’.
During an interview on a YouTube channel, Javed Akhtar said, “Those were the times when a child born in India would say ‘Rajesh Khanna’ first and then ‘mumma, papa’. But it was a short period. There came a time when we realised that it would be difficult for us to work together. He was surrounded by so many people, so many sycophants and yes men, it was difficult to work with him.”
He further added, “So, we parted ways. We became friendly, and we did a film also much later. But the kind of films that we were writing, and the kind of films that we had in our mind, were much more suitable for an actor like Amitabh Bachchan.”
Salim-Javed’s partnership with Amitabh Bachchan produced several blockbuster films, such as “Sholay”, “Don” and “Agneepath”. Their scripts played a crucial role in shaping Amitabh’s career and establishing his iconic ‘angry young man’ persona.
Javed Akhtar said, “He was not a superstar at that time, to say the least, but he was an unbelievably good actor. He was the man who we felt would be able to play our Vijay.”
He further added, “If you’re working with actors like Amitabh Bachchan or Dilip Kumar, you know that you can put the weight on the actor, and the actor will carry it. Sometimes, when you feel that the actor has limited talent, you make the scene easier for him. But these actors could carry anything. Amitabh Bachchan, you give him any scene and he’ll do it with competence. You give him any line and he’ll make it natural…”
Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar wrote a total of 24 films together, of which 22 were hits. They became the most sought-after writers in the industry, often commanding fees higher than the leading actors. Some of their other popular films include “Haathi Mere Saathi”, “Andaz”, “Seeta aur Geeta” and “Kranti”.
Salim-Javed’s unparalleled contributions to Indian cinema have left an indelible mark, making them legends in their own right.
