Angry Young Men

Can't blame a number of people who wanted much more from the series content wise because there is enough material to make some more episodes. As it stands it will be liked by Hindi movie buffs particularly those who have followed the work of this writer duo for many years. The trivia of their professional and personal lives makes for an interesting watch. Stories relating to the making of Zanjeer and Sholay are interesting anytime, anywhere and these have been covered well. How these writers demanded and got a prominent place in billing and greater remuneration than the actor is the stuff of legends. The drastic dip in their career at one time after a number of consecutive blockbusters and their separation makes for an emotional watch.

Director Namrata Rao has presented a collection of interviews of both writers which sends us on a memory trip and is very nostalgic. I feel those in the 60 plus age group are more likely to relate and empathize with the views of the two writers. The series includes some iconic dialogue of their movies which are remembered and quoted even today after many years. The scenes of their bonding together in the last episode is heartwarming.

Indian films particularly Hindi ones had a great fan following in 1970s and early 1980s. Amongst other factors one of the biggest factors was the phenomenon of AMITABH BACHCHAN and of course SALIM-JAVED-the creators of his "ANGRY YOUNG MAN" image. A film credits saying WRITTEN BY SALIM-JAVED for close to 1.5 decade meant that the film will be dollops of larger-than-life entertainment, dramatic scenes and paisa vasool dialogues. To be fair to the legendary duo they also tackled lost and found, romantic, serious and comedy scenes very well, but it was their angry young man discovery became their ticket to Bollywood history.

Amazon Primes 3 episodic documentary "Angry Young Men" directed by film editor Namrata Rao is a well-made tribute to the brilliant and most popular Hindi film writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. The series is jointly produced by the companies of their sons Salman Khans S. K. Films as well as Farhan Akhtar's Excel entertainment and is a homage to their amazing journey. The series covers a series of interviews of the duo, their families, and inputs by Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy, Yash Chopra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, Dharmendra, Aamir Khan, Prem Chopra, Raj Kumar Hirani, Shatrughan Sinha, Yash amongst lot of others. It starts with their childhood, their struggle, their initial individual works, their success, their peak, their arrogance, their fall, their redemption, their breakup and finally their lives as of now.

The show is full on nostalgia, many known facts, some unknown incidents, and re-creates the magic of their blockbusters particularly Deewaar, Sholay, Zanjeer and Don. The failure of Imaan Dharam also is covered very well. The starting animations mixing characters and situations from their films is excellent!! The painful memories of personal loss and financial low by Salim Khan and Javed bring a lump to their fans.

However, there is flip side too, as one feels that there should be 1-2 episode more to discuss more about their other films -Trishul, Shakti, Kaala Pathar, Kranti, etc. Also, total ignorance of films like Majboor and the grand finale Mr. India was surprising. I felt the makers should have touched the success they got after their separation Salim Khan in Naam and Javed in Arjun, Betaab, Meri Jung and later as legendary lyricist. As die-hard fans of the duo who have read a lot about them in last many decades will feel "Hey its good but we already knew most about them already"!

Having said that I cannot deny that I fully loved the series for a celebration of a golden phase of Hindi cinema and for the duo who proved for long that "A film without a good script will fall flat"!!!!

There are series, there are movies, and then there are emotions-this documentary rightly falls into the third category. It tells the story of Salim-Javed, a duo that shook the industry for good.

Over the course of three episodes, the documentary chronicles their humble beginnings, their rise to stardom, and their eventual fallout. You'll discover many aspects of their lives that were previously unknown. Their story takes you on a nostalgic journey through the 70s and 80s. Every movie they wrote together is now a cult classic, and there's no doubt that they were, and still are, a force to be reckoned with.

The documentary features interviews with many celebrities and family members who shed light on their lives, drawing you into the narrative and adding authenticity to the series. The conviction they had to tell a story, and the courage to follow their hearts, has brought them to where they are today. The inclusion of their marital lives, which have striking similarities, adds a personal touch to the series.

When Javed Akhtar speaks, you listen and admire his choice of words-he has proven his eloquence time and again through his work. Salim, though rougher around the edges when he speaks, adds a relatable element to the series.

As critics, directors, and stars discuss their body of work, you come to the realization of the legends they truly are. It's true-it's hard to fill their shoes. The Shahenshah of Bollywood continues to entertain us today, in large part thanks to this writing duo. Jaya Bachchan, for a change, appears so grounded and more beautiful than ever in this series. With the inclusion of classic film footage, get ready for goosebumps or a thrill that few series achieve.

The only issue with the series is that you still won't get the exact reason for their fallout. Otherwise, if you love movies-especially Hindi movies-you're in for a treat. It's a must-watch.

#pranureviews #AngryYoungMen #AngryYoungMenReview.

Salim-Javed is a foundational pillar which defined the stylish 70s as we know it. If are a fan of the duo, you would have already known most of the trivia and background stories covered in the 3-espisode mini series. What stood out for me are the following bits: 1) Yeaterday year footage its makers managed to bring back on screen and description of Salim-Javed's individual struggles before their legendary association happened.

2) The opening credit score capturing the funky 70s music and animation 3) screen time allocated to Sholay & Deewaar, given a total of 3 episodes

What I missed out on: 1) More details on some of their less discussed work. This should have been an 8-episode series with dedicated time given to Kaala Patthar, Don, Shaan, Shakti, and Mr. India.

2) More of Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan and Dharmendra footage because that's gold snippets.

3) An episode just on their wild life and parties after they made it big. That aspect was just given a lip service by calling them 'brats' 3) How the other big directors of the time (Prakash Mehra and M Desai) felt about their scripts and why they didn't work more together?

4) How they contributed to making the background music impacting the scenes written by them on camera.

There is much more I wanted to see but hopefully they will release it in parts over next season.

Every film buff knew about Salim -Javed , there works etc.

But this documentary goes deep into lives, there thought process of making stories, there history of childhood, divorce etc etc.

Nunaces of there stories, there thinkings, how each character developed and how it affected the whole generation is very well shown.

It's well made and everyone was speaking truth as per there thinking. Everyone tried to be honest and gave there perspective.

I think it's worth the watch and how the greatest story writers of Hindi Cinema has evolved is very well shown.

Though everyone spoke i missed ms Salma's viewpoints.