Salim-Javed

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For the Pakistani pop singer, see Saleem Javed.
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Salim Khan (l) and Javed Akhtar (r), together formed the pair Salim-Javed.

Salim-Javed were a screenwriting duo in the Indian film industry, composed of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. They are noted for being the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status, [1] becoming the most successful Indian screenwriters of all time. [2] They are regarded as "Hindi cinema's greatest screenwriters". [3] They worked together on 24 films during 1971–1987, of which twenty were commercially and critically successful films. They worked together on 22 Bollywood films, as well as two Kannada films.

Screenwriting, also called scriptwriting, is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession.

Salim Khan Indian actor, producer and screenwriter

Salim Abdul Rashid Khan is an Indian film actor, producer and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he wrote the screenplays, stories and scripts for numerous Bollywood films. In Hindi cinema, Khan is best known for being one half of the prolific screenwriting duo of Salim-Javed, along with Javed Akhtar. The duo Salim-Javed were the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status, becoming the most successful Indian screenwriters of all time, and are regarded as "Hindi cinema's greatest screenwriters". While working together, Salim Khan was largely responsible for developing the stories and characters, while Javed Akhtar was largely responsible for developing the dialogues.

Javed Akhtar Indian poet, lyricist, and scriptwriter

Javed Akhtar is an Indian political activist, poet, lyricist and screenwriter, originally from Gwalior area. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2007), the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as five National Film Awards. In early part of his career he was a screenplay writer, creating movies like Deewar, Janzeer and Sholay. Later he left screenplay writing and became a lyricist and social-political activist.

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Salim-Javed revolutionized Indian cinema in the 1970s, [4] transforming and reinventing the Bollywood formula, and pioneering the Bollywood blockbuster format. [3] A significant departure from the romance films that had previously dominated Bollywood, [5] Salim-Javed pioneered cultural phenomena such as the "angry young man" character archetype, [3] the masala film, [6] the Dacoit Western genre, [7] and Bombay underworld crime films. [8] Their films launched the careers of major filmmakers and movie stars, [3] such as Amitabh Bachchan and Superstar Rajinikanth. [9] Salim-Javed's films also had a wider impact on Indian society, with themes relevant to the socio-economic and socio-political climate of 1970s India, especially during The Emergency period, such as urban slum poverty, political corruption, and organized crime, while presenting progressive, feminist and anti-establishment themes, which resonated with Indian audiences in the 1970s and early 1980s. During their time working together, the duo won six Filmfare Awards, out of ten nominations. [10] Their films are also among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, including Sholay (1975), the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time, as well as films such as Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Zanjeer (1973), Deewaar (1975), Kranti (1981), and the Don franchise. Sholay is also considered to be one of the greatest Indian films of all time. [11]

Bollywood Hindi language film industry

Hindi cinema, often known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is the Indian Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai. The term is a portmanteau of "Bombay" and "Hollywood". The industry is related to other regional industries, making up Indian Cinema – the world's largest by number of feature films produced.

A blockbuster is a work of entertainment—especially a feature film, but also other media—that is highly popular and financially successful. The term has also come to refer to any large-budget production intended for "blockbuster" status, aimed at mass markets with associated merchandising, sometimes on a scale that meant the financial fortunes of a film studio or a distributor could depend on it.

Romance film Film genre

Romance films or romance movies are romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theaters and on TV that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes them through dating, courtship or marriage. Romance films make the romantic love story or the search for strong and pure love and romance the main plot focus. Occasionally, romance lovers face obstacles such as finances, physical illness, various forms of discrimination, psychological restraints or family that threaten to break their union of love. As in all quite strong, deep, and close romantic relationships, tensions of day-to-day life, temptations, and differences in compatibility enter into the plots of romantic films.

While working together, Salim Khan was largely responsible for developing the stories and characters, which were considered unconventional at the time, while Javed Akhtar was largely responsible for writing the dialogues. [12] Many of the dialogues they wrote for their films have become famous. Although the dialogues are often referred to as Hindi, they are actually mostly in Urdu, a register of the Hindustani language. Coming from backgrounds in Urdu literature, they mostly included vocabulary from Urdu, and wrote their dialogues in Urdu script, with the Urdu dialogues then transcribed by an assistant into Devanagari script so that Hindi readers could also read the Urdu dialogues. [13] [14] [15]

Hindi Indo-Aryan language spoken in India

Hindi or Modern Standard Hindi, is a standardised and Sanskritised register of the Hindustani language. In India, the official standardized variety of the language is based primarily on the Khariboli dialect of Delhi and other nearby areas of northern India. Hindi, written in the Devanagari script, is one of the two official languages of the Government of India, along with the English language. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of the Republic of India. Contrary to the popular belief, Hindi is not the national language of India because no language was given such a status in the Indian constitution.

Urdu National language and lingua franca of Pakistan; one of the official languages of India; standardized register of Hindustani

Urdu —or, more precisely, Modern Standard Urdu—is a Persianised standard register of the Hindustani language. It is the official national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. In India, it is one of the 22 official languages recognized in the Constitution of India, having official status in the six states of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, as well as the national capital territory of Delhi.

In sociolinguistics, a register is a variety of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular communicative situation. For example, when speaking officially or in a public setting, an English speaker may be more likely to follow prescriptive norms for formal usage than in a casual setting; examples might include pronouncing words ending in -ing with a velar nasal instead of an alveolar nasal, choosing words that are considered more "formal", and refraining from using words considered nonstandard, such as ain't.

The duo made the writer's role popular with their names appearing in the posters of the films, and in some films they shared up to 25% of the profit. Their association lasted until 1982, when both decided to split after which Javed Akhtar moved into writing lyrics for around 80 films and scripts for 20 films from 1981 till present times, while Salim Khan wrote for 10 scripts between 1983–1996. They are credited together on two films after the split, Zamana (1985) and Mr. India (1987), due to these scripts being written earlier and made into film later after their split. In addition, their films had many South Indian remakes, which were often licensed directly from Salim-Javed, who owned the South Indian remake rights to their films.

<i>Zamana</i> (1985 film) 1985 bollywood movie directed by Ramesh Talwar

Zamana (Time) is a 1985 Indian Bollywood film, written by Salim-Javed, directed by Ramesh Talwar, and starring Rajesh Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon and Ranjeeta. Kulbhushan Karbanda, Girish Karnad, Avataar Gill, Mac Mohan, Satyen Kapu, Om Puri and Pillo Wadia form the supporting cast. The film wasa flop at the box office.

<i>Mr. India</i> (1987 film) 1987 Hindi film directed by Shekhar Kapur

Mr. India is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language superhero film directed by Shekhar Kapur, based on a screenplay written by Salim-Javed. It stars Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in the lead roles. Amrish Puri, Ashok Kumar, Satish Kaushik, Ajit Vachani and Sharat Saxena are featured in supporting roles.

The cinema of South India is used to refer collectively to the five different film industries of South India: Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Tulu film industries, as a single entity. They are based in Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mangaluru respectively.

Before teaming up

Salim Khan

Salim Khan was born on 24 November 1935 at Indore. He debuted as an actor after director K. Amarnath saw him at a wedding and was impressed by his good looks. He asked him to come to Mumbai, where he hired him as an actor for Rs. 500 a month. Salim Khan was earlier a junior technician for various films had not made any considerable mark in the field. Khan acted in various movies, in large and small parts, for seven years. He was unable to capture the public's interest, and, as a result, his career had stalled. Khan appeared in such films as Teesri Manzil (1966), Sarhaadi Lootera (1966) and Diwaana (1967), in total he has acted in 14 films till 1970. But he did not achieve success as an actor.

Indore Metropolis in Madhya Pradesh, India

Indore is the most populous and the largest city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and has campuses of both the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. Located on the southern edge of Malwa Plateau, at an average altitude of 550 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level, it has the highest elevation among major cities of Central India. The city is 190 km (120 mi) west of the state capital of Bhopal. Indore had a census-estimated 2011 population of 1,994,397 and 2,170,295. The city is distributed over a land area of just 530 square kilometres (200 sq mi), making Indore the most densely populated major city in the central province. It comes under Tier 2 cities in India.

K. Amarnath

K. Amarnath was one of the earliest film makers of Indian Cinema. His career as a movie producer and director spanned over four decades in the film industry.

Mumbai Megacity and state capital in Maharashtra, India

Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. As of 2011 it is the most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 12.4 million. The larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region which includes nearby areas like Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, Bhiwandi and Panvel is the second most populous metropolitan area in India and one of the most populous in the world, with a population of over 20 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires among all cities in India. Mumbai is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and the city's distinctive ensemble of Victorian and Art Deco buildings.

After working in 25 films, despite his handsome looks, he eventually understood that he "was not cut out to be an actor because I lacked the art of projection. But by then it was too late — how could I have gone back to Indore?" [16] In the late 1960s, Salim Khan, who was struggling financially, decided to start shifting his focus away from acting and towards writing scripts, and continued to use the name Prince Salim. One of his more notable film scripts was Do Bhai (1969). He also began working with Abrar Alvi as a writing assistant. [17]

<i>Do Bhai</i> (1969 film) 1969 film by Brij Sadanah

Do Bhai is a 1969 Bollywood action drama film, produced and directed by Brij Sadanah, and written by Salim Khan. It stars Ashok Kumar, Mala Sinha, Jeetendra in the lead roles and music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The film was remade in Tamil in 1971 as Justice Viswanathan and in Telugu in 1971 as Nenu Manishine.

Abrar Alvi Indian actor

Abrar Alvi was an Indian film writer, director and actor. Most of his notable work was done in the 1950s and 1960s with Guru Dutt. He wrote some of the most respected works of Indian cinema; Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Pyaasa, which have an avid following the world over. Pyaasa is included in the All-Time 100 Movies by Time, as chosen by Time movie critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel.

Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar was born on 17 January 1945. Early influences on Akhtar included Urdu novels by Pakistani author Ibn-e-Safi, such as the Jasoosi Dunya and Imran series of detective novels, as well as films like the Dilip Kumar starrers Arzoo (1950) and Aan (1952), Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zameen (1953), Shree 420 (1955) directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957). [18]

Akhtar arrived in Mumbai on 4 October 1964. In his early years there, he wrote the dialogue for a minor film for Rs. 100. Occasionally, he worked as an assistant. He got a job as a dialogue-writer on Yakeen which flopped. He was unsuccessful in his individual ventures till 1971.

History

After teaming up

Salim met up with Javed Akhtar for first time during the making of the film Sarhadi Lootera. Salim was a small-time actor, and Sarhadi Lootera was one of the last films he acted in before he turned his attention to writing. Javed was a clapper boy for the film and was later made the dialogue writer as director S.M. Sagar was unable to find a dialogue writer. While working in this film their friendship began.

Salim Khan used to assist writer/director Abrar Alvi at first and Javed Akhtar used to assist Kaifi Azmi. Abrar Alvi and Kaifi Azmi were neighbours, from there on Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar became friends. Since their individual work was flopping both of them ventured into script writing and they decided to team up in 1971. Realizing the lack of writers in the movie making industry, Salim gradually learnt about story telling and writing techniques used in films, along with close friend Javed Akhtar and began writing short transcripts. The duo hit it off well and formed a script-writing team that came to be known as Salim-Javed. Salim used to form stories and plots whereas Javed used to help Salim with the dialogues for those films. They used to brainstorm and come to conclusions regarding the final draft of the film. Akhtar first joined Khan to develop the story for Adhikar and Andaz (both 1971).

Initially in the 1970s there was no concept of having the same writer for the screenplay, story and dialogue nor were the writers given any credits in the title. Rajesh Khanna is credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi (1971). [19] Javed Akhtar accepted in an interview that "One day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow Aashirwad. But the film was a remake and the script of the original was far from being satisfactory. He told us that if we could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit." [20] Salim-Javed were hired by G. P. Sippy's Sippy Films as resident screenwriters and produced the screenplays for successful films like Andaz, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay and Don. They have worked together in 24 films including two hit Kannada films (both starring Dr.Rajkumar) – Premada Kanike and Raja Nanna Raja . Though they split in 1982, due to ego issues, some of the scripts they wrote were made into hit films later like Zamana and Mr. India.

Salim-Javed (as they are famously called) have scripted many commercially and critically accepted movies for movie making giants like Nasir Hussain ( Yaadon Ki Baaraat ), Prakash Mehra ( Zanjeer and Haath Ki Safai ), Ravi Tandon ( Majboor ), Yash Chopra ( Deewaar, Trishul and Kaala Patthar ), Yash Johar ( Dostana ), Ramesh Sippy ( Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay ), Ramesh Talwar ( Zamana ), Shekhar Kapoor ( Mr. India ) and with Chand Barot ( Don ). The duo split up in the early 1982 and ended their 12-year professional relationship because they developed ego issues. [21] Of the 24 films they wrote the scripts for, the film which were not successful at box office include Aakhri Dao (1975), Immaan Dharam (1977), Kaala Patthar (1979) and Shaan (1981).

After their split

Salim Khan after the split was not very active in films. Though he did write the scripts for about 10 films after his split with Javed Akhthar like Naam (1986), Kabzaa , Toofan (1989), Jurm (1990), Akayla, Patthar Ke Phool , Mast Kalandar (all in 1991), Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1994), Majhdhaar and Dil Tera Diwana (both 1996). Of these scripts, Toofan, Akayla, Majhdaar, Aa Gale Lag Jaa and Dil Tera Deewana failed at the box office. Salim Khan's eldest son, Salman Khan, made his film debut (in a leading role) at the age of twenty four with Maine Pyar Kiya in the year 1989 and eventually went on to become one of the most successful actors in the history of Bollywood. Salman Khan has collaborated with his father Salim Khan in Patthar Ke Phool and Majhdhaar, and with Javed Akhtar in only one film – Marigold (2007), in his three-decade long career. Javed Akhtar, on the other hand, has worked in all the films produced by his children Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar's Excel Entertainment. Javed Akhtar started writing lyrics for films beginning with Silsila in 1981 and since 1982 has written lyrics for around 80 films and scripts for over 20 films till the present times. Javed and Salim were not even on talking terms after their split till 2012, when their original script Zanjeer was being remade into a 2013 film of the same name by producer Sumeet Mehra. Salim and Javed had filed a suit in the Bombay High Court in July 2013 claiming they had copyrights over the script, story and dialogues of the original film, produced by Prakash Mehra and demanded compensation from the makers of the remake. [22] This court case brought them together again on talking terms.

Their last unofficial partnership was for the film Baghban (2003). Amitabh Bachchan requested to Javed Akhtar to write his final speech. Salman Khan, for his speech prior to that, requested his father Salim Khan to write his speech. However, neither Salim Khan nor Javed Akhtar were credited. [23]

Contributions

Screenwriter profession

They have worked together in 24 films including two Kannada films – Premada Kanike and Raja Nanna Raja . Though they split in 1982 some of the scripts they wrote were made into films later like Zamana and Mr. India. They are credited with the creation of the "angry young man" image of Amitabh Bachchan. [21] For a significant number of his major hits, they wrote the screenplay, story and dialogue. They brought credibility to a profession which had previously been relegated to the background. It is due to their efforts and work that screenplay/story/dialogue writers are seeing the limelight. They fought for and achieved the mentioning of screenplay/story/dialogue writer's names on the movie posters.

According to Javed Akhtar, in their early periods, on the cinema posters, there were no names of script writer, story and screenplay. Realizing that the hard work is done by this duo, and not getting the appropriate recognition, Salim and Javed decided to paint their names on all the posters pasted in the city. They hired a rikshaw and put the paint bucket on that and did all the work themselves the entire night. After that, the directors also started to put their name on the posters.

Bollywood cinema

Salim-Javed revolutionized Indian cinema, [4] particularly Bollywood. [3] At the time, Hindi cinema was experiencing thematic stagnation, [24] dominated by family-friendly romance films with "romantic hero" leads. [5] The arrival of the non-conformist screenwriter pair Salim-Javed marked a paradigm shift for the industry, with their creative innovations that proved to be a significant breakthrough for Hindi cinema, and resurrected Indian cinema. [24]

Salim-Javed began the genre of gritty, violent, Bombay underworld crime films, in the 1970s, with films such as Zanjeer (1973) and Deewaar (1975). [25] [8] Deewaar, which pitted "a policeman against his brother, a gang leader based on real-life smuggler Haji Mastan" portrayed by Bachchan, was described as being "absolutely key to Indian cinema" by Danny Boyle. [26]

They also pioneered the masala film format. [6] Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973), directed by Nasir Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified as the first masala film and the "first" quintessentially "Bollywood" film. [27] [6] Salim-Javed subsequently went on to write more successful masala films in the 1970s and 1980s. [3]

Both of these trends, the violent crime film and the masala film, came together with the blockbuster Sholay (1975). It combined the dacoit film conventions of Mother India (1957) and Gunga Jumna (1961) with that of Spaghetti Westerns, spawning the Dacoit Western genre (also known as the "Curry Western"), which was popular in the 1970s. [7] Sholay is considered to be one of the greatest Indian films of all time. [28] [11] It has been described as the "Star Wars of Bollywood", with its impact on Bollywood comparable to the impact Star Wars (1977) later had on Hollywood, while the villain Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) has been compared to Darth Vader. [29] Salim-Javed also created the Don franchise, one of the biggest Indian film franchises.

Salim-Javed were also responsible for launching the career of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. [5] Salim Khan conceived the "angry young man" persona that he became famous for, and introduced him to directors Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai. [30] Salim-Javed often wrote their scripts with Bachchan in mind for the lead role, and insisted he be cast for their films early in his career, including Zanjeer, Deewaar, and Sholay, roles which established Bachchan as a superstar. [5] [31]

South Indian cinema

Their work was also highly influential in South Indian cinema. In addition to writing two Kannada films Highly successful Dr.Rajkumar and Arathi Starer Raja Nanna Raja and Premada Kanike, many of their Bollywood films had remakes produced in other South Indian film industries, including Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema and Malayalam cinema. While the Bollywood directors and producers held the rights to their films in Northern India, it was Salim-Javed who held the rights to their films in South India, where they sold the remake rights to various South Indian filmmakers, usually for around 1 lakh (equivalent to 29 lakhorUS$42,000 in 2018) each, for films such as Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baarat, and Don. [32]

Much like their role in launching the career of Amitabh Bachchan, Salim-Javed also played an important role in launching the career of South Indian superstar Rajinikanth. [9] Several Tamil remakes of their films became breakthroughs for Rajinikanth, who was cast in Amitabh Bachchan's role. [5] [33] The Tamil remake of Don (1978) in particular, Billa (1980), was a turning point in Rajinikanth's career, as his first blockbuster hit. He also starred in several other hit Salim-Javed adaptations in Bachchan's role, including Thee (1981), Mr. Bharath (1986), [9] and Naan Vazhavaippen (1979). [33]

Indian society

Salim-Javed's films had a wider impact on Indian society. Their films reflected the socio-economic and socio-political realities of 1970s India, channeling the growing popular discontent and disillusionment among the masses, and the failure of the state in ensuring their welfare and well-being, in a time when prices were rapidly rising, commodities were becoming scarce, public institutions were losing legitimacy, and smugglers and gangsters were gathering political clout. [24] There was also an unprecedented growth of slums across India in the 1970s, [34] particularly in Bombay, the most famous being Dharavi, which was represented in Deewaar (1975). [35]

Their films often dealt with themes relevant to Indian society at the time, such as urban poverty in slums, corruption in society, and the Bombay underworld crime scene. [36] While inspired by Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957) and Dilip Kumar's Gunga Jumna (1961), Salim-Javed reinterpreted their rural themes in a contemporary urban context reflecting the changing socio-political climate of 1970s India, [24] [37] which resonated with Indian audiences in the 1970s. [24]

Some of their films in the 1970s, especially Deewaar, were perceived by audiences to be anti-establishment. This was represented by the "angry young man", conceived by Salim-Javed and portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan, often presented as a vigilante or anti-hero, establishing Bachchan's image as the "angry young man" of Indian cinema. [31] The "angry young man" was seen as a new kind of hero, with his suppressed rage giving a voice to the angst of the urban poor. [34] [35]

Their portrayal of female heroines was also progressive and feminist for Indian society the time. For example, Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) subverted the formula of Dilip Kumar starrer Ram Aur Shyam (1972), replacing twin brothers with twin sisters, and having the heroine Hema Malini eventually become the "hero" while male lead Dharmendra is in a mostly supporting role. [12] Parveen Babi's character in Deewaar is portrayed as "a modern woman who felt no guilt or shame in having pre-marital sex, drinking or smoking," which was "novel and revolutionary" at the time, [31] and she became seen as the "new Bollywood woman". [16] Similar feminist undertones appear in Sholay (1975), where Basanti (Hema Malini) is a "straight-talking, earthy and independent young woman doing a man’s job". [29]

International cinema

Beyond their influence on Indian films, their work has also influenced international films. Their 1975 film Deewaar had an influence on Hong Kong cinema and in turn Hollywood cinema, by playing a key role in the creation of the heroic bloodshed crime genre of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema. [38] Deewaar, along with several later 1970s "angry young man" epics it inspired, such as Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), had similarities to elements later seen in 1980s Hong Kong heroic bloodshed films. [39] Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers studio remade Deewaar as The Brothers (1979), [12] which in turn inspired John Woo's internationally acclaimed breakthrough A Better Tomorrow (1986). [38] A Better Tomorrow set the template for heroic bloodshed films, a genre that went on to have a significant influence on Hong Kong films in the 1980s and later Hollywood movies in the 1990s, inspiring filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino along with John Woo's entry into Hollywood. [38]

According to Loveleen Tandan, the screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008), "studied Salim-Javed's kind of cinema minutely." [40] In particular, Deewaar was praised by Danny Boyle and influenced the making of Slumdog Millionaire. [26] Actor Anil Kapoor (who stars in the film) noted that some scenes of Slumdog Millionaire "are like Deewaar, the story of two brothers of whom one is completely after money while the younger one is honest and not interested in money." [41] One of the techniques often used by Salim-Javed was their use of a montage sequence to represent a child growing into an adult, a technique that dates back to Awaara (1951), directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. For example, Deewaar showed a character entering a temple as a child and then leaving the temple as an adult. Slumdog Millionaire paid homage to Salim-Javed by showing a montage sequence where two "brothers jump off a train and suddenly they are seven years older". [42] In Slumdog Millionaire, two characters have names referencing the duo: Salim K. Malik (brother of protagonist Jamal Malik) and Javed Khan (played by Mahesh Manjrekar).

Filmography

Bollywood films

YearFilmDirectorCastNotes
1971 Andaz Ramesh Sippy Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini, Shammi Kapoor, Simi Garewal
1971 Adhikar S.M. Sagar Ashok Kumar, Nanda, Deb Mukherjee
1971 Haathi Mere Saathi M. A. Thirumugham Rajesh Khanna, Tanuja Based on 1967 Tamil movie Deiva Cheyal by the same production house
Remade in Tamil in 1972 as Nalla Neram under same production banner 'Devar Films' with M. G. Ramachandran in the lead.
1972 Seeta Aur Geeta Ramesh Sippy Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar Remade in Telugu as Ganga Manga (1973) with Vanisri in the dual role alongside Shobhan Babu and Krishna.
Remade in Tamil as Vani Rani (1974) with Vanisri in the dual role alongside Sivaji Ganesan and R. Muthuraman.
1973 Yaadon Ki Baaraat Nasir Hussain Dharmendra, Vijay Arora, Tariq Khan Remade in Tamil as Naalai Namadhe (1975) with M. G. Ramachandran in dual role and Chandra mohan in lead roles.
Remade in Telugu as Annadammula Anubandham (1975) with N. T. Rama Rao, Murali Mohan and Nandamuri Balakrishna in lead roles.
Remade in Malayalam as Himam (1983) with Prem Nazir, Shankar and Shanavas in lead roles.
1973 Zanjeer Prakash Mehra Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Pran Remade in Telugu as Nippulanti Manishi (1974) with N.T. Rama Rao, Latha Sethupathi and Kaikala Satyanarayana in lead roles.
Remade in Tamil as Sirithu Vazha Vendum (1974) with M. G. Ramachandran in dual role and Latha in lead roles.
Remade in Malayalam as Naayattu (1980) with Prem Nazir, Jayan and Sukumari in lead roles.
Further remade in 2013 into Hindi-Telugu bilingual Zanjeer in Hindi and Thoofan in Telugu starring Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra.
1974 Majboor Ravi Tandon Amitabh Bachchan, Parveen Babi, Pran Inspired by Zig Zag and Cold Sweat [43]
Remade in Telugu as Raja (1974) with Shobhan Babu and Jayasudha in lead roles.
Remade in Tamil as Naan Vazhavaippen (1979) with Sivaji Ganeshan, K. R. Vijaya and Rajinikanth in lead roles.
Remade in Malayalam as Ee Kaikalil starring Mammootty and Seema.
Remade in Gujarati as Naseeb No Khel (1982).
1974 Haath Ki Safai Prakash Mehra Randhir Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Simi Garewal, Ranjeet Remade in Telugu as Manushulu Chesina Dongalu (1976) with Krishna, Krishnam Raju, Manjula, Sangeetha and Mohan Babu in lead roles.
Remade in Tamil as Savaal (1981) with Kamal Haasan, Jaishankar, Sripriya, Lakshmi and Vijayakumar in lead roles.
1975 Deewaar Yash Chopra Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh Remade in Telugu as Magaadu (1976) with N. T. Rama Rao, Rama Krishna, Manjula and Latha in lead roles.
Remade in Tamil as Thee (1981) with Rajinikanth, Suman, Shobha and Sripriya in lead roles.
Remade in Malayalam as Nathi Muthal Nathi Vare starring Mammootty.
Remade in Cantonese as The Brothers (1979) by Shaw Brothers Studio. [44]
1975 Sholay Ramesh Sippy Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri It was ranked first in the British Film Institute's 2002 poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. [11]
50th annual Filmfare Awards named it the Best Film of 50 Years.
1975 Aakhri Dao A. Salaam Jeetendra, Saira Banu, Danny Denzongpa The film is based on Vermaji's 1950 novel of the same name
1977 Immaan Dharam Desh Mukherjee Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha
1977 Chacha Bhatija Manmohan Desai Dharmendra, Randhir Kapoor, Hema Malini
1978 Trishul Yash Chopra Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini Malayalam movie Meen (1980) starring Jayan and its Tamil remake Kadal Meengal (1981) starring Kamal Haasan were partially inspired by this movie
Remade in Tamil as Mr. Bharath (1986) starring Rajinikanth, Sathyaraj, S. Ve. Shekher and Ambika in lead roles
Remade in Telugu in 1986 as Mister Bharat starring Sobhan Babu and Suhasini Maniratnam
1978 Don Chandra Barot Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Helen Remade in 1979 in Telugu as Yugandhar starring N. T. Rama Rao and in 1980 in Tamil as Billa starring Rajinikanth and in 1986 in Malayalam as Shobaraj starring Mohanlal.
Subsequently, remade in Hindi in 2006 as Don starring Shah Rukh Khan; in Tamil in 2007 as Billa starring Ajith Kumar and in Telugu in 2009 as Billa starring Prabhas
1979 Kaala Patthar Yash Chopra Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rakhee Gulzar, Shatrughan Sinha, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi
1980 Dostana Raj Khosla Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman, Prem Chopra, Pran, Amrish Puri, Helen Remade in 1983 in Tamil as Sattam starring Kamal Haasan
1980 Shaan Ramesh Sippy Sunil Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Rakhee Gulzar, Parveen Babi
1981 Kranti Manoj Kumar Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Parveen Babi
1982 Shakti Ramesh Sippy Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Anil Kapoor It was only film to feature veteran actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan together on screen.
The movie had a similar storyline as that of the 1974 Tamil movie Thanga Pathakkam starring Sivaji Ganesan which was already remade in 1982 in Hindi as Farz Aur Kanoon starring Jeetendra
1985 Zamana Ramesh Talwar Rajesh Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon, Ranjeeta Kaur The film was successful at the box office with collection of 4.5 crores in 1985.
1987 Mr. India Shekhar Kapur Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Amrish Puri The film was the second biggest hit of 1987, and remains a cult classic in India.
Remade in Tamil as En Rathathin Rathame (1989) with K. Bhagyaraj and Meenakshi Seshadri in lead roles.
Remade in Kannada as Jai Karnataka (1989) with Ambarish and Rajani in lead roles.
2003 Baghban Ravi Chopra Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Hema Malini, Aman Verma, Samir Soni, Mahima Chaudhry, Rimi Sen Uncredited. [23]

Kannada films

YearFilmDirectorCastNotes
1976 Premada Kanike [45] V. Somashekhar Rajkumar, Aarathi Based on 1969 Hindi film Do Bhai by Salim Khan (credited as Prince Salim), which was also remade in Tamil as Justice Viswanathan and in Telugu as Nenu Manishine. Premada Kanike was later remade in Tamil as Polladhavan and in Hindi as Raaz
1976 Raja Nanna Raja [46] A. V. Seshagiri Rao Rajkumar, Aarathi

Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards
YearCategoryFilmResult [10]
1974 Best Screenplay Zanjeer (1973) [47] Won
Best Story
1976 Best Dialogue Deewaar (1975)Won
Best Screenplay
Best Story
Best Story Sholay (1975)Nominated
1979 Best Story Trishul (1978)Nominated
1980 Best Story Kaala Patthar (1979)Nominated
1983 Best Screenplay Shakti (1982)Won
Best StoryShakti (1982)Nominated

Films with Salim-Javed writing credits that were nominated for or won the Filmfare Award for Best Film: [10]

British Film Institute

Sholay (1975) was ranked first in the British Film Institute's 2002 poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. [11]

Related Research Articles

Amitabh Bachchan Indian actor

Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s for films such as Zanjeer, Deewaar and Sholay, and was dubbed India's "angry young man" for his on-screen roles in Bollywood. Referred to as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Sadi ka Mahanayak, Star of the Millennium, or Big B, he has since appeared in over 190 Indian films in a career spanning almost five decades. Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema as well as world cinema. So total was his dominance on the Indian movie scene in the 1970s and 1980s that the French director François Truffaut called him a "one-man industry". Beyond the Indian subcontinent, he also has a large overseas following in markets including Africa, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Russia and parts of the United States.

<i>Sholay</i> 1975 film by Ramesh Sippy

Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film written by Salim-Javed, directed by Ramesh Sippy, and produced by his father G. P. Sippy. The film is about two criminals, Veeru and Jai, hired by a retired police officer to capture the ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh. Hema Malini and Jaya Bhaduri also star, as Veeru and Jai's love interests, Basanti and Radha, respectively. Sholay is considered a classic and one of the best Indian films. It was ranked first in the British Film Institute's 2002 poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. In 2005, the judges of the 50th Filmfare Awards named it the Best Film of 50 Years.

<i>Deewaar</i> 1975 Hindi-language action drama film directed by Yash Chopra

Deewaar is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action drama film written by Salim-Javed, directed by Yash Chopra, and starring Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Nirupa Roy and Parveen Babi. Reflecting the tumultuous socio-political climate of 1970s India, Deewaar tells the story of a pair of impoverished brothers who, after their family is betrayed by the misplaced idealism of their father, struggle to survive in the slums of Bombay, and eventually find themselves on opposing sides of the law. The deewaar ("wall") of the title is the wall that has sprung up between the two brothers, drawn apart by fate and circumstances in a time of socio-political turmoil. Bachchan's character Vijay was loosely inspired by the real-life Bombay underworld gangster Haji Mastan.

Amjad Khan (actor) Indian actor

Amjad Khan was an Indian actor and director. He worked in over 130 films in a career spanning nearly twenty years. He enjoyed popularity for villainous roles in Hindi films, the most famous being the iconic Gabbar Singh in the 1975 classic Sholay and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

<i>Zanjeer</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by Prakash Mehra

Zanjeer is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language action film written by Salim-Javed, directed and produced by Prakash Mehra, and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Ajit and Bindu. The film changed Hindi cinema's trend from romance films to action films, and pioneered Bachchan's new image of a brooding but explosive person who fights back when cornered, known as "The Angry Young Man."

<i>Baghban</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Ravi Chopra

Baghban is a 2003 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, featuring Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan in lead roles while Salman Khan in a supporting role. Aman Verma, Samir Soni, Saahil Chadha and Nasir Khan portray Bachchan and Malini's four sons. Mahima Chaudhry, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen and Lilette Dubey are also featured in supporting roles.

Organised crime in India is a reference to organised crime elements originating in India and active in many parts of the world. The mafia is involved in many criminal activities based in India and international as well. The Indian mafia also refers to those powerful families that have criminal aspects to them.

<i>Yaadon Ki Baaraat</i> 1973 film by Nasir Hussain

Yaadon Ki Baaraat is a 1973 Indian Bollywood film, directed by Nasir Hussain and written by Salim-Javed. It featured an ensemble cast, starring Dharmendra, Zeenat Aman, Tariq Khan, Neetu Singh, Vijay Arora, Ajit Khan and Aamir Khan.

<i>Gunga Jumna</i> 1961 film by Nitin Bose

Ganga Jamna, also transliterated as Ganga Jamuna or Gunga Jumna, is a 1961 Indian crime drama film, written and produced by Dilip Kumar, and directed by Nitin Bose, with dialogues written by Wajahat Mirza. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala and Nasir Khan in the lead roles. Set in a rural part of the Awadh region of Northern India, the film tells the story of two impoverished brothers, Ganga and Jamna, and their poignancy and sibling rivalry on opposing sides of the law, one a dacoit criminal and the other a police officer. The film was also notable for its Technicolor production, use of the Awadhi dialect, and its rustic setting, and it is a defining example of the dacoit film genre.

Masala films of Indian cinema are those that mix genres in one work. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be musicals that include songs, often filmed in picturesque locations. The genre is named after the masala, a mixture of spices in Indian cuisine. According to The Hindu, masala is the most popular genre of Indian cinema. Masala films have origins in 1970s Bollywood (Hindi) films, and are most common in Bollywood and South Indian films.

<i>Aatish: Feel the Fire</i> 1994 film by Sanjay Gupta

Aatish: Feel the Fire is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by debutant Sanjay Gupta, starring Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Pancholi, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor and Atul Agnihotri in lead roles. The supporting cast includes Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Kader Khan, Ajit, Tanuja and Ram Mohan.

The Salim Khan family refers to the family of Salim Khan which is a prominent Indian show business family, and is one of the prominent Bollywood film clans. Multiple members of the family have been actors, screenwriters, film directors and producers in the Hindi film industry of India. Salim Khan, one half of the duo Salim-Javed, is one the most famous screenwriters in the history of Indian cinema. His son, actor Salman Khan, has been the prominent face of the family since the 1990s, as one of the three biggest Bollywood movie stars.

<i>Adhikar</i> (1971 film) 1971 Hindi film

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The 23rd Filmfare Awards were held on March 30, 1976. Ramesh Sippy's Sholay, Bollywood's most famous film, went home with just one win out of several nominations. Yash Chopra's Deewaar was the big winner on the night, winning Best Picture and Best Director, among several other awards. Shashi Kapoor won his sole acting Filmfare award, as Best Supporting Actor in Deewaar.

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Gabbar Singh (character)

Gabbar Singh is a fictional character, the antagonist of the 1975 Bollywood film Sholay. The character was a Jat by caste. It was written by the duo Salim-Javed, consisting of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar.

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