Salim Khan-Javed Akhtar have given many hits to Bollywood, including iconic ones like Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Trishul, and Mr. India.The reasons behind their separation in 1982 have largely remained hidden, even after the release of a documentary based on them. However, in a recent interview, Salim Khan has shed light on a possibility: Amitabh Bachchan could have been the key to preventing their split.
Salim Khan on his separation from Javed Akhtar
Reflecting on the period leading up to their separation, Salim Khan in his conversation with NDTV revealed, “Jab unhone mujhse kaha ki main alag films banana chahta huun, maine kaha thik hai, koi dikkat nahi. Kisiko zabardasti rok nahi sakte. Mujhe toh abhi bhi nahi malum kyun alag hue. Ho gaya toh ho gaya” (When he informed me that he wanted to work separately, I said okay, no problem. You can’t force someone to stay. Even now, I don’t know why we separated. It just happened).
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Could Amitabh Bachchan have prevented the split?
The ace writer also mentioned, “Lekin main agar hota unki [Amitabh Bachchan] jagah… unko [Javed Akhtar] yehi raye deta ‘Maat chodo accha khasa tumhari ek jodi hai, kaam kar raahe ho accha khasa chal raha kahe ke liye isko chodhte ho?’ Mai hota toh yeh karta” (But if I were in Amitabh Bachchan’s place… I would have advised Javed Akhtar not to leave, pointing out that they had a successful partnership, everything was going well, and questioning why they would end it. If it were me, I would have done that).
Salim-Javed together produced 22 Bollywood blockbusters, including classics, and even made two Kannada films. Recently, a documentary called Angry Young Men. However, it does not delve deeply into the reasons behind their split.