'Angry Young Men' director Namrata Rao: Salim-Javed are badass guys, who made it happen

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar

Everyone has a favourite Salim-Javed film. Even Namrata Rao, the director of Angry Young Men, a docu-series that tells the story of Bollywood's most successful screenwriter duo, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. She says, "Deewar [1975] would be my favourite film, but I also love Shakti [1982]." It certainly is hard to pick, considering the duo delivered 22 blockbusters.

Together, the two writers shaped a glorious chapter of Hindi cinema. Rao, one of the industry's most successful editors, has turned director to bring that era alive again. She worked on the Prime Video offering for three years. It all started when Zoya Akhtar, with whom she had worked on Lust Stories (2018) and Gully Boy's (2019) songs, shared Angry Young Men's idea with her. "I was editing Lust Stories [2018] with Zoya. She told me then [that she had this idea]. I was very taken even then. In December 2020, she asked me if I wanted to direct it."

The stalwarts collaborated for more than 15 years, giving us gems in Sholay (1975), Don (1978), Trishul (1978) and many more. When making a documentary that charts their career, how does one even start to make sense of such vast material? "With a chart of their chronology," replies Rao. "First, the anecdotes of their lives in the public domain were sought out - what was their process, the interesting things they did together and how they parted. But when we started interviewing them, the story changed. What was interesting was to tap into their personality. They are cool guys, they are badass. They dreamt big and made it happen. Like Javed saab says, ‘I didn't think this wouldn't happen; I always thought this could go in my biography.' I found it beautiful how they have aged, from their young photos to the last photoshoot."

Anyone who has seen the documentary will agree that it is true to its two subjects. The fact that it's not a piece of glorification comes from them. "They symbolise the wisdom about success and failure, and what it means as you age! They know storytelling better than any of us. So, they have the ability to offer what I would want. I remember when we shot the scene where Javed saab chokes up about his breakfast; he then makes light of it within minutes, saying, ‘Achcha, abhi aapko shot mil gaya mere rone ka.' I was taken aback when Salim sir spoke about his mother because I got an insight into the vulnerabilities of this rough and tough man. They own their lives, their failures and successes, and even that they fu''ed up! I discussed a lot about Sholay [1975] with them - how they showed that a widow could be remarried, but didn't give her a happy ending. They said, ‘You can't push the envelope all at the same time. You first bring in the idea and then you normalise it. The story of Sholay required a tragedy to make it as big!'"

After 80-plus interviews - ranging from Amitabh Bachchan to Karan Johar, from Salman Khan to Farhan and Zoya Akhtar - Rao had 800 hours of footage. But she remained loyal to the storytelling over her favourite films. The only criticism is that Angry Young Men doesn't have much for those who know them already. "At the end of the day, the story represents them. As they got candid, I realised their mantra is: bolo yaar, aage dekha jaayega. That rubbed off on me. I've never seen their kind of confidence in anyone. That you can believe in something and stand by it, whether it goes your way or not, is what I loved about their story."

We end the interview with two important questions. First, why did she not show them together? "That was always the idea. We started in the pandemic when movement was limited. It wasn't easy to shoot two people of that age. Then we fell into a pattern. I enjoyed catching them in their space. The last thing we shot was the photos when they went to Shivaji Park to inaugurate Diwali lighting. We shot at Raj Thackeray's house!" And is the last script of Salim-Javed happening any time soon? "Everyone at the première had that question. I can tell you they aren't acting on it. But they are angry young men who do what they want to; maybe just as unexpectedly, they will get back someday!"