I watched the three-parts docu-series ‘Angry Young Men’ based on the lives and times of the writer duo Salim-Javed, with quite an attention, as both these men, despite the fact, to have changed the tide of Indian cinema, are yet most reviled for the only one fact. They are Muslims or have Muslim names. Their children also have the same. Almost both of them are under threat, yes under life-threat with the anti-Muslim phobia sweeping the whole nation, since, at least, very openly, after 2014, yet, by the sheer grit of their pen, they carved a great niche for themselves, that the Bollywood cinema found it compelled to document their lives, struggles, togetherness and parting-off etc, as an exact tribute to their once great camaraderie.
The moment the film started, there was a knock, ‘thak’ and before the typewriter could be seen, I reflected on the feet of Gabbar, the most iconic character played by Amjad Khan in Sholay. ‘Pahle Ma.in jata tha aur baad-e-Saba Mere baad’ ( My thought reached there before the wind) had said Meer Taqi Meer. The same steps were emulated in the recently released Mirzapur-3 showcasing Guddu Pandit, played by Faisal Ali. But, this docu-series did not perform as it was expected! Why probably all the protagonists, in most of its part, spoke in English and in Urdu, only in tit bits, as if English in the only understandable language, while Urdu, the language which is the verve of whole Indian cinema, on which cinema earns its bread-and-butter, was relegated to perhaps, to the last stage?
Salim Sahab was open, remained mostly in his light blue denim shirt, his slightly grown up white silver beard, was often visible, which showed his unpretentiousness, whereas, I could not remember how many colorful Kurtas Javed Sahab had exhausted. Why was Javed Sahab into it? Why was he trying to score a point through his dress? His house, wooden mosaic floor, glassed lounge etc. also played into for the ambience? He once even asked his orderly, ‘Ye sab le jao abhi’ (remove all this) from the table, which showed him playing a man to have conquered poverty and hunger, which he very often coalesces with his struggle. His Ex. wife Honey Irani reflected that she was chosen as a wife by Javed Sahab, as a lucky- mascot, as then he could win a ‘lost’ Rummy round, but which ultimately she lost. She would relate with her eyes down, perhaps even moist, and summons that, Jua (gambling) never pays. Anyone can understand the namby-pamby of the background? But, the film has an ethereal honky-dory to paint all over.
Javed Sahab’s second wife Shabana Azmi, both are Ex. Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), tried to gloss over the remarks that are sure to have haunted her, of being a home breaker/destroyer, the brickbats she had to concur but then rightfully tried to play to the gallery that Honey Irani did not make her children think that she was evil. She and Irani had put on masks, no one else, in one of frame, to evade perhaps Corona, and while Shabana took Irani in her stride, patted her back, Irani did not reciprocate, , Irani shakes her hand with Javed Sahab, camera shows her back, but did not let audience see Javed Sahab face at the moment? The melodrama, despite the makeover, is easily decipherable.
Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha, the stars of 1970 onwards, came with their high plaudits for Salim-Javed, but then Amitabh Bachchan chips into. He was a disaster to his films until then, and no doubt, after Salim-Javed, arrested the imagination of the nation, even became a MP riding on it, but his opening statement, instead of bestowing his gratitude, betrayed his arrogance to the hilt. He conflated his ego that Salim Sahab and Javed Sahab “wished” to see him for a narration. He emphasized the usage of “wished” as a mark of satire for them.
Amitabh Bachchan further showed his ill concern about what the film/story (Zanjeer) was to be, or working with whom? He even referred to the duo firstly as ‘somebody’. And, that he enjoyed these ‘somebodies’ to have come to narrate a script to him. His expression, at the moment, showed how contemptuous he felt for the script, as that was obviously to be in Urdu, at least in terms of phonetics! He called for the ‘two’ to have come (to his door), as a huge moment (sic), is how he degrades the two living legends, who made an icon out of him, or otherwise he was to have been consigned as a ‘nobody’ long-long back.
His children, Shweta/Abhishek Bachchan also rightly averred, that the coolest one liner of all times in Hindi cinema has been in Sholay , as ‘Tera (Tumhara) naam kya hai Basanti’ as an ode to Hema Malini, to strike the correct node as she is a multiple times MP from the ruling party-BJP. By what standard that was to be only they can revel. The film initially was considered a flop, but Salim-Javed gave an advertisement that it was do a business of 1 Crore/territory, with 786 written on top! Hema Malini ensued that it was Javed Ji who made her flawless in her presentations. She became a household name, inside Muslim population. My maternal uncle loved his Rampur greyhound so much that he named her Hema. She rode on that popularity. Became ‘Razia Sultan’ and now serves with a party bent upon to obliterate every nuance of Urdu civilization. Javed Sahab wrote in Persian script.
The series should have been at least in seven parts. I remember long back I had done a review of the book by Nasreen Munni Kabir on Javed Sahab, in one leading daily from Lucknow. Throughout the film, Salim Sahab in photographs from the archives can be seen, with a great sprawling body-language, putting hands around shoulders etc., Javed Sahab not, but in the end, the latter would perform it with Salim Sahab. They created, parted, and drafted a world of cinema, but their choices, which may or may not have been theirs, for the hero and heroine they made i.e. Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini proved to be absolutely antithetical with whatever the twosome had stood for.
In the end Salim Sahab had no regrets. Javed Sahab could not divorce his pretensions while he sat on the edge of chair, as if seeking a job. Twice he was moved to tears too. Who knows, in the wake of threats to them and their families, what is to happen next. The nation wants to forget them and their likes? Will it happen?
Haider Abbas is a former UP State Information Commissioner and a political commentator.
