On Mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist series, Javed Akhtar shares deets on his collaboration with Salim Khan, kids Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, not watching his old works, and more
Javed Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar Pic/AFP
Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who rose to fame as the iconic duo Salim-Javed, recalls his rapport with his partner for years as they worked together on blockbuster hits like Seeta Aur Geeta, Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Deewaar, and Sholay, to name a few. On Mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist series, Javed Akhtar shares deets on his collaboration with Salim Khan, not watching his old works, and more.
Javed Akhtar on working with Salim Khan
It’s been months since Amazon Prime Video released the docu-series Angry Young Men that traced the journey of Salim-Javed. When Javed was asked about his rapport with Salim, who is 10 years older than him, he asserted that it was a mix of parental and brotherhood. “He had the final say in the partnership.”
Javed elaborated, “When we were sitting and developing a screenplay, we were equals. But you see, both of us come from a culture where chote bada ka khayal is inherent in our temperament. So he was older than me and elder than me, and more experienced than me. So woh chote bada ka rishta toh tha. But when we were working, we were working. When I write a song for Zoya or Farhan (Akhtar), I can't treat them like my children. Then they are directors. So when you are discussing a screenplay, you are a writer. That's all. Then there is no age.”
I don’t see my old films: Javed Akhtar
Taking the conversation ahead regarding the series, Javed wished certain things remained in the final cut, but maintained, “Perfection is some kind of a mirage that you can only pursue. You can walk towards it. You can't reach it. So what happens when you do something, and after a few years, if you look back, now I don't. I don't see my old films. I don't listen to my old songs. Never. But sometimes it happens to me. Recently, I saw Trishul (1978) perhaps after 30 years. I had never seen it when it was released.”
Javed even went on to say that he was amused after watching Trishul. Reason? “It's a story of two real estate giants. They are father and son, but obviously, the father doesn't know that. And they are outwitting and outbidding each other in Delhi. And in the complete film, one word was never pronounced - crores. It was only lakhs. It was beyond our imagination, crores at that time in the 70s.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
