Why Did Salim Khan And Javed Akhtar Stop Working Together? Unravelling Mystery Behind Their Split

Salim Khan is one of the iconic names in Bollywood, who, along with his partner Javed Akhtar, gave many hits to the industry. Together, they were popular as Salim-Javed. Over 16 years, the duo wrote screenplays for 24 films. With films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, Don, Salim and Javed revolutionised Hindi cinema.

From ‘yeh haath humko de de thakur’ to ‘mere paas maa hai’, every dialogue written by Salim and Javed is termed iconic till this day. They not only shared story ideas, but also survived on shared meals. They struggled like every newcomer, but never stopped believing in their dreams. Soon, they became the prolific screenwriting duo and delivered blockbuster hits. Despite their shared belief in cinema and love for the art, why did the two legends stop working together? Read on to know.

How did Javed Akhtar meet Salim Khan?

Javed Akhtar always wanted to be part of Hindi cinema and struggled in the early years, facing rejection after rejection. During the shooting of Sarhadi Lootera, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar met for the first time. While Salim was working on the film as an actor, Javed was the film's dialogue writer. As a result, Salim and Javed got a chance to work together.

While Javed searched for work, he started to spend more time at Salim’s home. They would eat together while discussing stories and ideas. The duo teamed up as a scriptwriting duo under the name Salim-Javed and soon had an opportunity to work together after filmmaker SM Sagar offered them a screenplay.

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s rise

In 1970, Salim and Javed received an offer from Rajesh Khanna to write the script for his film, Haathi Mere Saathi. The film went on to become a huge success, and Salim and Javed not only got financial gain but also got recognition as writers. Soon, success followed with films like Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Zanjeer (1973), Haath Ki Safai (1974), Deewaar (1975), Sholay (1975), Chacha Bhatija (1977), Don (1978), Trishul (1978), Dostana (1980), Kranti (1981) and many more.

They not only made the films do the talking, but also made a point of being recognised as writers. They ensured their names were painted prominently on posters alongside the lead actors', a move no writer had ever dared to make. Not just this, they were paid more than the stars. Their partnership was so strong that, out of 24 films they worked together on, 22 were hits.

Why did Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar part ways?

In 1982, Salim and Javed split after 12 years of working together. There were many rumours pertaining to the split. According to multiple reports, Javed Akhtar wanted to write the lyrics, but Salim Khan rejected his idea. Talking about Javed’s desire to expand his career into lyric writing, leading to their split, Salim revealed:

“Every box has an expiry date... We were near Javed's house one evening when Javed told me he wanted to split... I shook hands with him and started walking towards my car. Javed wanted to use this partnership to start writing lyrics too... I told him to restrict the partnership to script-writing."

Another reason for their split was the rising remuneration they demanded. When Amitabh Bachchan hiked his fee to Rs. 25 lakhs, Salim and Javed demanded Rs. 21 lakhs, which no one was willing to pay. Soon after the split, Javed Akhtar reportedly reduced his fee, and ace filmmakers started approaching him for screenplays and dialogues. He worked with Ramesh Sippy, Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, and many others.

Was Amitabh Bachchan the reason behind Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s split?

After Salim and Javed’s split, there were many rumours about the reason for their parting ways. Many claimed that Javed’s closeness with Amitabh was the reason behind his split from Salim. However, Javed shut the rumours and told Mid-Day:

“When we parted, the situation changed. Due to my closeness to Amitabh Bachchan, a lot of people thought I have parted ways with Salim Khan because of my closeness with Amitabh. Due to these rumours, I didn't do any films with Amitabh Bachchan for about 10 years. I had many offers, but I didn't take up any because I didn't want this tag on me that I broke this partnership because of some support.”

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s split never affected their personal relationship

Despite Salim and Javed’s split, the two remained cordial to each other and never said anything against one another. The veteran screenwriter stated that even after going their separate ways, the friendship they shared remained intact. They visited each other’s homes and spent quality time together. Javed has often praised Salim for being the guiding light in his life, often playing the role of an elder brother. His son, Farha Akhtar also talked about their bond and revealed:

“I find it incredible that whatever happened between Salim saab and us, it never trickled down to us."

What do you think about Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s broken partnership?

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