"I'll write for him": Javed Akhtar's solution to making Ranbir Kapoor reach Big B's 'angry young man' stature

Javed Akhtar and Salim Javed are re-living their glory days through the recent docu-series based on their work and life. The legends of Indian cinema and their unbeatable work in Hindi cinema have been showcased and paid tribute to in Amazon Prime's docuseries, Angry Young Men. Javed Akhtar has been quite critical of Ranbir Kapoor's Animal.

Recently, he was asked if other actors could match the status of Amitabh Bachchan, who portrayed the character of 'angry young man' in most of his films. To this, Akhtar was quick to say that while Big B's anger came from a place of deep hurt in cinema, the hurt isn't there in contemporary actors playing such roles.

What made Amitabh's anger different

"Amitabh Bachchan's anger was based on deep hurt. You could see the pain in him when he's angry. Then, they forgot about the hurt; there was only anger, which was crude. That is how the angry young man went out of the scene. Now, who is the contemporary man? How much he owes to society, to peers, his family, or himself? Where do you draw the line to selfishness? It's now clear. You don't have great characters or great stars because of that," he told Indian Express.

Will Ranbir achieve the same stardom?

Javed also said that he might someday write a film for him that would justify his anger. Javed Akhtar had criticised Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, featuring Ranbir Kapoor's character in a negative role. The veteran lyricist and screenwriter had called the success of such a film alarming and dangerous. He also urged the audience to be responsible in grasping what's right and what's wrong.

"The ball is currently in the audience's court. Even today, there are as many filmmakers making good movies, but only a few. The fate of cinema depends on how long you stand with them," Akhtar had said in an interview.