Conspiracy Theory 1 : The Salim-Javed story. Review on Javed Akhtar

No?I have not taken a new role once more on MS?.of a Rumor Monger (well after the devil, Fully flatoo and things you would think I have ! I don?t blame u !) Anyways , I don?t like to spread gossip and Rumors ?.infact I am quite allergic to it ! What I am about to narrate to you is not a rumor but more like a collaboration of facts, a fascinating true story.

Salim-Javed, it?s not arguable but a fact that they are without doubt the best writer team ever in Hindi Cinema history. This is both on critical terms and commercial basis. But their life stories ?.individually and as a team are as fascinating as a story penned by them. Their background's and there teaming up is a legend?..but what is most fascinating in their lives is their split?how, why , where , when ? There are questions which people have asked in the past?there were theories?.one of few of them?.are what I given here in this fascinating review.

The Prologue

Before I begin the divorce tale here is a few facts that you would love to know about there background and there teaming up.

Salim Khan was a struggling actor in those times. He was neither too good looking, nor talented enough to ever get to anything big. Nor did he have a Godfather in the industry. But he was a born fighter?and essentially a networks man. Struggling for long in the industry he had made himself a good network of friends.

Javed Akthar was son of a famous poet and lyricist Jan Nisar Khan. He entered the industry to become a director. He neither had the network, nor a pushy personality to get him through in the tough world. But he had a gift, a great gift of writing.

Javed and Salim met at the sets of Sharhadee Lootera in the 60s in which Javed was the dialogue writer and Salim the hero !! They became friends, then room mates and then finally teamed up to write together. The rest is history.

The Story

Vir Sanghvi: So why did you split with Salim Khan

So what is the truth. Was Salim-Javed more Javed-Javed ? Javed Akhtar once said in the interview that Salim wrote the plot and he wrote the dialogues. In one he said that he wrote the noun and Salim wrote the verb. Here is the truth. The Truth is Javed was the writer and Salim the PRO?.flat ! It was an open secret in the movie industry in that time. Salim had the network?.he had the friends?.and he understood what the industry demanded?.he prevented Javed from becoming too much abstract and unrealistic in writing, he was his in house critic?.but was he a writer ? answer is : no. Maybe he did come up with a few ideas but it was Javed and only Javed who really wrote anything on paper.

That was the time they were at the peak of the career. They had superhits like Deewar, Sholay, Zanjeer, Sita Aur Gita, Don, Trishul , ShaktiThey single handedly gave more hits than all the rest of the writers combined. They made Amitabh Bachaan, they made the angry young man, they made Dimple Kapadia, they were responsible Yash Chopra as a dirctor?.and yes they were amply rewarded for everything. They are and were the highest paid writers of all time. They demanded more money than even Rajesh Khanna or Amitabh !

Then they split. Shabana Azmi walked in the life of Javed Akhtar. Javed was married at that time to Honey Irani. But Honey had some medical problems (Hypothyroidsm to be honest). Javed Akhtar sympathized her wife but both he and Honey knew that there marriage wouldn?t continue too long. Money was never going to be a problem?.Javed had plenty and Honey Irani had just started out her own career as a writer. She wrote the famous ?Lamhe? directed by Javed?s good friend Yash Chopra.

Shabana Javed pair was a hit. Both had many things in common?intellectual pursuits were similar. Salim hated this. Salim hated the fact that Javed was with a film actress, Salim hated the fact that Javed was now the bigger of the pair, and Salim hated the fact that Shabana had become Javed?s new PRO.

It is said that Shabana made Javed realize the fact that he didn?t need Salim anymore. Both Shabana and Javed had enough contacts now to carry there respective careers forward. They hatched a plan to put Salim out. Yash Chopra was a super Javed fan. He agreed to direct the film ?Mashaal? that Javed had secretly written alone.

This was all under cover and this was all during the time Ramesh Shippy?s ?Shakti? was being filmed. Yash Chopra somewhere down the line realized the Javed was a good poet too and offered him ?Silsila?. Javed Akhtar did a great job with that and hence had a firm backing in the name of Yash Chopra. He was now confident that he would survive alone.

When the project ?Mashall? was announced Salim was caught unaware. This one came as a huge shock. It was not unexpected that they would split. But what was unexpected was the silence following it. People felt that the two star writers would lash out on each other in the media and wash their dirty linen in public but it was not to be?not that they didn?t want to !

Salim knew that if the whole truth came out the industry would realize who was the real star in the Salim-Javed pair and he would be totally out of work. So why didn?t Javed say anything. Well people say that Salim-Javed made a deal. Javed would keep quiet and in exchange Salim would take his credit off from the screenplay of ?Beetab?.

Now the industry was watching how they would both fare independently. Both ?Beetaab? and ?Mashaal? were commercial success and Javed got a head start on there venture alone?but what about Salim

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