Who're modern-day angry young men? Javed Akhtar takes his pick
Indian cinema's legendary lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar recently spilled the beans on who he thinks are today's "angry young men." At the IIFA Utsavam 2024 in Abu Dhabi, he picked out Hrithik Roshan, his son Farhan Akhtar, and Vicky Kaushal as the modern-day avatars of this iconic role. The "angry young man" archetype was made famous by Akhtar and his former writing partner Salim Khan in the '70s and stands as the cornerstone of Hindi cinema even today.
Why Akhtar didn't name SRK
Akhtar said, "There are many great actors. Hrithik (Roshan), Farhan (Akhtar), Vicky Kaushal." When asked if Shah Rukh Khan also fits the bill, Akhtar candidly replied, "He's not from this generation. He's a veteran now." The poet-writer also shared his thoughts on future creative partnership with Khan "There's nothing you should ever say 'never' to. Who knows? It could happen." Recently, Khan-Akhtar were the subject of the Amazon Prime Video documentary Angry Young Men.
More on 'Angry Young Men' docuseries
Angry Young Men looks into the creative partnership between Akhtar and Khan and features interviews by Yash, Salman Khan, Farhan, Zoya Akhtar, Dharmendra, and Amitabh Bachchan, among others. Produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media & Entertainment, and Tiger Baby, it premiered on August 20 under Namrata Rao's direction.