Namrata Rao has shaped several Hindi movies over the years in the capacity of an editor, including Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani (2012), for which she won a National Award. Now, she turns her attention to direction with Angry Young Men, a 3-part docuseries on Salim-Javed, the screenwriter duo of the 1970s and ‘80s who invented a new language in Hindi cinema and gave birth to the Angry Young Man character type, most famously played by Amitabh Bachchan during his meteoric rise. (Also Read – Angry Young Men review: A heartfelt, fascinating update on Salim-Javed's legacy ) In an exclusive interview, Namrata opens up on her process of filming the docuseries, whether she was concerned by a conflict of interest, and why she felt the need to ask some uncomfortable questions.
Excerpts: It's been over 40 years since Salim-Javed split up. When you had the chance to bring them together to tell their own story, why did you decide to interview Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar separately, and not in the same frame? I've found it more interesting to shoot them separately. Of course, we had logistical concerns because we started shooting during the pandemic.
It was anyway very hard to shoot. We had to maintain distance. They're aged so it wasn't very convenient for them too.
I always wanted to shoot them separately and then bring them together for one final thing. We did make them sit together and do an interview. But for me, somehow, it was not really cutting it.
I wanted to see them together, but th.