Famous Critic On Amazon Prime's Angry Young Men: "An Exhortation To Dare Greatly" (Image: Amazon Prime)
Anupama Chopra, the renowned film critic and founder of Film Companion Studios, praised Amazon Prime’s documentary series Angry Young Men for its celebration of the iconic duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, whose influence shaped 70s Hindi cinema. In her review, Chopra remarked that anyone who grew up watching their films “carries a little bit of Salim-Javed in their blood,” a sentiment echoed by Hrithik Roshan in the documentary.
Angry Young Men highlights the journey of Salim-Javed, two outsiders who collaborated on 24 films, 22 of which became significant hits, including Sholay and Deewar. The duo is celebrated not only for their storytelling prowess but for their creation of the “Angry Young Man” archetype, embodied by Amitabh Bachchan. According to Chopra, the documentary captures the duo’s impact on Hindi cinema, remarking that their stories and characters “changed the texture of Hindi cinema.”
Short Take – Angry Young Men
(A Thread🧵) pic.twitter.com/t0HBtZuMkh— Anupama Chopra (@anupamachopra) August 21, 2024
In her review, Chopra expressed admiration for the documentary’s mix of interviews, film clips, and the presence of the two writers themselves. She described Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan as having retained “such panache and delicious mischief,” even in their later years. Their personalities shine through the documentary, prompting Chopra to reflect on the partnership that ended over forty years ago, leaving a lingering melancholy. She observed, “When you see them together on screen, you almost wish that they would sit down and create one last story.”
Despite the series’ celebration of Salim-Javed’s legacy, Chopra expressed her wish for more insight into their relationship with Amitabh Bachchan, particularly as he was central to their creation of the Angry Young Man persona. “I wish Amitabh Bachchan had been more forthcoming about what it was like to be their muse,” Chopra noted, lamenting the lost potential of deeper insights into this legendary trio.
Whoever has grown up watching their films carries a little bit of Salim-Javed in their blood, Hrithik Roshan declares in Angry Young Men, a new documentary series on the first and so far, only superstar writers in the history of Indian cinema. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar wrote 24…
— Anupama Chopra (@anupamachopra) August 21, 2024
Overall, Angry Young Men serves as a tribute to daring creativity. As Chopra aptly put it, the series “is an exhortation to dare greatly,” recognising that Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar did just that, leaving an indelible mark on Indian cinema. The three-episode series, now streaming on Amazon Prime, captures their legacy, and as Chopra concluded, “Indian cinema is the better for it.”
