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Javed Akhtar Reveals the Real Reason for the End of Salim-Javed Duo
In the annals of Indian cinema, the collaboration between Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar stands as one of the most illustrious partnerships in screenwriting history. Renowned for their creation of iconic blockbusters, their alliance was once the cornerstone of Bollywood’s success. However, despite their formidable achievements, their friendship ultimately dissolved. For decades, the exact reasons behind their separation remained shrouded in mystery. The recent docu-series Angry Young Men has now shed light on the real cause of their rift.
Unveiling the Rift: The Real Reason Behind the Split
In the revelatory docu-series Angry Young Men, Javed Akhtar has provided an insightful account of the dissolution of his partnership with Salim Khan. According to Akhtar, it was he who initially approached Salim with the decision to end their professional collaboration. He attributes the breakup to a palpable sense of 'fatigue' that had crept into their work, which he believed signaled the need for them to pursue separate paths.
Akhtar elaborates, “When you start working together, you are new in the business, and you don’t know many people. You keep each other’s company. Perhaps we spent 18 hours out of 24 together. Then I made new friends, and he made new friends; gradually our circles started to diverge. Our evening meetings stopped, which was one reason, but it wasn’t the main one. In my view, the main reason was that our careers were drying up. Fatigue was showing in our work. There’s no doubt about it.”
Why the Silence?
Despite their amicable separation, Salim and Javed chose to remain reticent about the reasons for their breakup. Akhtar explains, “Yes, we separated, but we did it very civilly. Typically, when people split, they throw mud at each other and say bad things. We sometimes argued; we were not perfect, but no one is. I will present my side of the story, and he will present his. That’s why we never talked about our separation. Even when people asked us why or how it happened, we said we didn’t know and preferred not to discuss it. We only talked about our good times.”
This deliberate silence, Akhtar suggests, was a mark of respect towards their shared history and the collaborative spirit that once defined their work.
The Legacy of a Glorious Collaboration
Salim and Javed’s partnership yielded an impressive portfolio of 24 films, with 22 achieving blockbuster status. Their most notable successes include cinematic masterpieces such as Sholay, Don, and Zanjeer. Their creative synergy was celebrated as a golden era of Indian cinema, yet by the early 1980s, their partnership had run its course.
- PTC PUNJABI
