5 Salim-Javed films that changed Hindi cinema forever
Indian Cinema is all about catapulting star images. Here we fall in love with our favorite actors, giving them a demi-god status. The screenwriting duo of Salim Khan-Javed Akhtar identified this and introduced the angry young man character in Hindi cinema and became the first writers to attain star status. On Salim Sahib's 87th birthday, we discuss five films in this sub-genre.
India's first screenwriters to attain 'star' status
The duo worked on 24 movies in their 16-year-long association and cracked the formula to produce blockbuster movies. This "star image" format was later adopted by many and has resulted in SRK's Romance hero image, Salman Khan's boy-next-door image, and Ayushmann Khurrana's socially responsible image.
'Zanjeer' (1973)
India had low economic growth and the angry young man characters represented the youth. This marks the advent of Amitabh Bachchan as the new-age hero who fights all the odds. This movie was rejected by Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raaj Kumar, and Dharmendra; still, it remains a pillar in Hindi cinema. This also marks the start of Bachchan's characters being named Vijay.
'Deewar' (1975)
This Yash Chopra directorial is known for its iconic dialogues and the temple scene. It's a tale of two brothers who try to survive in the slums of Bombay and eventually find themselves on opposing sides of the law. At that time, two hero films were common and they were widely accepted. This particular structure is returning in South Indian films these days.
'Sholay' (1975)
This is regarded as one of the greatest Hindi films of all time. This film is iconic in every way possible. From Gabbar's evil yet magnificent laugh to Dharmendra's comic timing, Sholay had different shades of genres ranging from action to drama to romance. Salim-Javed's writing and Ramesh Sippy's direction was perfect. Jai-Veeru's chemistry is used as a metaphor for friendship even to date.
'Don' (1978)
This is another iconic Bachchan film loved by generations of Hindi cinema lovers. Zeenat Aman's portrayal of Roma Bhagat was loved by many. At a time when Indian female characters were nothing more than a love interest, Aman's character showed shades of feminism. Bachchan's dual role and the action sequences were on point. Its remake starring SRK was also a hit.
'Trishul' (1978)
The year 1978 was Bachchan's year and releases like Don, Trishul, and Muqaddar ka Sikandar made him taste box office success like anything. This three-hero film starring Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, and Shashi Kapoor was unique in nature and the typical Yash Chopra touch made it more special. This movie was later remade into Tamil and Telugu under the name Mr. Bharath.
