, a three-part series directed by Namrata Rao, is crafted like the many Bollywood blockbusters that its protagonists — Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar — wrote together. Starring their wives, children, colleagues, friends and fans, the series is devoted to not just telling the story of a very successful and almost epochal collaboration, but also to cast them as the best writers Indian cinema has ever had. That Salim-Javed were a formidable, talented pair who demanded and ensured that writers are treated with respect and given their due credit is undeniable.
That their films gave at least two generations of Indians a role model, a hero to worship and emulate — even if he was angry and problematic with severe mummy-daddy issues — is a fact. But, to say that they were and still are the best writers Indian cinema has ever had is a bogus claim. Or to say that the films made on their stories were box-office hits only because of their writing is the sort of tall tales kids tell to establish, "My daddy is the greatest".
This is not what adult, seasoned writers and filmmakers do. , produced by Khan and Akhtar’s children, rightly celebrates two exceptional writers. The series is entertaining, gives us interesting details and peeks into the personal and professional lives of the duo.
It takes us back to the world where a character’s swag was conveyed with a simple line: “ ” (from 1975 film ). But it doesn't cast a critical eye on the collected works of Salim and Javed, making.