Everyone has a favourite film. Even Namrata Rao, the director of Angry Young Men, a docu-series that tells the story of Bollywood’s most successful screenwriter duo, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. She says, “Deewar [1975] would be my favourite film, but I also love Shakti [1982].
” It certainly is hard to pick, considering the duo delivered 22 blockbusters. ADVERTISEMENT Together, the two writers shaped a glorious chapter of Hindi cinema. Rao, one of the industry’s most successful editors, has turned director to bring that era alive again.
She worked on the Prime Video offering for three years. It all started when Zoya Akhtar, with whom she had worked on Lust Stories (2018) and Gully Boy’s (2019) songs, shared Angry Young Men’s idea with her. “I was editing Lust Stories [2018] with Zoya.
She told me then [that she had this idea]. I was very taken even then. In December 2020, she asked me if I wanted to direct it.
” The stalwarts collaborated for more than 15 years, giving us gems in Sholay (1975), Don (1978), Trishul (1978) and many more. When making a documentary that charts their career, how does one even start to make sense of such vast material? “With a chart of their chronology,” replies Rao. “First, the anecdotes of their lives in the public domain were sought out—what was their process, the interesting things they did together and how they parted.
But when we started interviewing them, the story changed. What was interesting was to tap into their pe.