Heroes of the hustle
It was passion alone that brought us two of the biggest films of all time
Eight years ago, just days after the re-release of Sholay in 3D, I was somehow able to persuade Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the legendary screenwriters who’d co-written that classic film, to sit down together for an on-camera interview with me. It was well known that the two gentlemen had fallen out in the 1980s, after a winning partnership that had yielded such landmark films as Seeta Aur Geeta, Zanjeer, Deewar, Don, and Kaala Patthar.
Arguably the most influential and powerful writers in Hindi film history, Salim-Javed (as they came to be credited) were responsible not only for creating the Angry Young Man ‘formula’, but also for encouraging filmmakers like Prakash Mehra, Ramesh Sippy, and Yash Chopra to cast Amitabh Bachchan in the films that led to his embodying that archetype. No writers before or since have wielded the clout Salim-Javed did, famously demanding that their names appear on film posters along with those of the director, producer, and lead actors. So highly regarded was their contribution to the success of the films they’d scripted that they became the first ever Indian screenwriters to receive a share of the film’s profits.
Sholay, the underdog
On that morning in January 2014, it had been more than 30 years since their professional split when they agreed to sit down together to reminisce about the making of Sholay and its legacy. Rumours had swirled over the years that Salim and Javed didn’t just stop working together but had pretty much retired their friendship too. On a previous occasion, Salim saab’s son, the actor Salman Khan, had confirmed to me that the two men hadn’t been in touch for years, but that his father had insisted that his kids continue to accord the same respect to Javed saab and his family that they had grown up doing.
To have been able to listen to Salim Khan and Javed
Akhtar talk about their partnership and about the journey of Sholay was a gift far greater than one could have imagined. Whatever their differences, it was impossible to miss the way their eyes lit up when recounting how the film had been written off initially, before it went on to prove all the naysayers wrong. “One major film star who is perhaps devoid of a sense of humor explained why the film just didn’t stand a chance,” Javed saab remembered. The movie star pointed out that in the scene where Jai takes his friend Veeru’s proposal to Basanti’s mausi, he makes a laundry list of his friend’s shortcomings instead of talking him up. “Do you think that’s funny?” Javed saab said the star had asked them. They recounted with pride how both Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan had begged to play Gabbar Singh after reading the script. “But of course, we never gave them any choice. They had to play the parts we were offering them.” The writers were present on set throughout the shoot in Bangalore, and said there were no diversions from the script, “except for one scene where Dharamji did a little improvising, and we couldn’t say anything to him.” They maintained that “the rest of the film, with commas and full-stops, is exactly what was on paper.”
Over roughly two hours that morning Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar spoke joyously about the freedom they had felt while writing Sholay, creating those indelible characters, and the cockiness they had quickly developed on the heels of its success. The point of this piece though is not so much about Salim-Javed. It’s about the nerdy joy of discovering what went into the making of a beloved classic.
The Godfather of all battles
A few weeks ago I discovered The Offer, a new 10-part series (streaming on Voot) about the making of The Godfather. It’s a delicious, take-no-prisoners account of all the times the film almost came apart, the constant in-fighting between corporate bosses, studio heads, and producers, how Al Pacino was almost not cast as Michael Corleone, and how closely the production flirted with the real mafia. It’s told from the point of view of Al Ruddy, the film’s resilient producer, who held on to it by the skin of his teeth.
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NO WRITERS BEFORE OR SINCE HAVE WIELDED THE CLOUT SALIM-JAVED DID, FAMOUSLY DEMANDING THAT THEIR NAMES APPEAR ON FILM POSTERS ALONG WITH THOSE OF THE DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, AND LEAD ACTORS
The Offer, not unlike Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s telling of the making of Sholay, is about the passion, the conviction, and the hustle it took to realise an ambitious dream. We’re suckers for underdog stories, and listening to their respective narrators, it’s not hard to see why, in their own way, these two behemoths—The Godfather and Sholay—were dark horses that succeeded despite the odds that were stacked against them.
The true test of any great film, of course, is to be able to watch it again and enjoy it for what it is, without being distracted or overwhelmed by everything you know about it.
Spoilers Ahead is a new fortnightly column for, by and of lovers of films and film stars. Catch the next column on June 25, 2022.