In some art, untold and unseen ignite pain. Eternity in the known is disputable though it is a catalyst in a long journey of togetherness. There’s a lot told about the iconic scriptwriter duo Salim-Javed in Angry Young Men, a miniseries directed by Namrata Rao. Their foray into the film scenes of Bombay in the 1970s leaving their hometowns as aspirant youngsters redefines a hitherto discarded profile –scripting.

Unadulterated self-analysis of their success and failure on and off-screen never sounds preachy but leaves slight despair around the corner. What might have discontinued a courtship of creativity between two talented angry young men made 22 mega hits out of 24 they penned. An envious record still awaits successors. Salim-Javed weathered hardships, success, criticism, and fall before becoming a hit headline – Salim-Javed parting ways!

Farhan Akhtar says it strained the warmth between two families never anticipated such a thing. Javed has more confessions on the surface while Salim locks his interiors tight. Both admit success got into their heads and they overlooked the goodwill of their body of work. While recollecting the stardom enjoyed by many unknown stars of the times delivering their punch dialogs on screen, Amitabh Bachchan, the face of the angry young man of the nation comes on top. Flop after flop, Bachchan was almost ceasing to be none. The game-changer duo introduced more characters against the quintessential bagging a distinct identity in the history of Hindi Cinema. Their unconventional lives set another model for shocking twists and surprising harmonies.

Despite Salim-Javed meeting in person, hugging each other, and obediently posing for the stills in Angry Young Men, I could still see that invisible Deewar separates them. A quirky intuition warns: a vulnerable Javed is ready but a stern Salim is not.

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