'Insightful life lessons, but...': Angry Young Men is a blissful, wholesome, nostalgic tale of iconic duo Salim-Javed [Review]

If you love watching films, you can simply not miss the golden era of cinema, which was not just ruled by actors like Dharmendra, and Amitabh Bachchan. Rajesh Khanna among others. Those iconic characters were written by the dynamic duo Salim-Javed.

In an industry, where actors have been the face of the films, there came a time when writers Salim and Javed's names were highlighted on a film's poster.

The duo has written 24 films together out of which 22 films have been blockbusters. However, the cinema lost its charm when the duo parted ways owing to professional differences. And now a decade later, a docuseries titled Angry Young Men was released on Amazon Prime Videos on Tuesday, August 20.

The three-part series is produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media & Entertainment, and Tiger Baby, and executive produced by Salma Khan, Salman Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, and Reema Kagti.

About the docu-series Angry Young Men

Salim Khan said, "Mazdoor Ka paseena sukhne se pehle, uske mazdoori ka paisa mil jana chahiye" ( Before the sweat of the labourer dries, his wages should be paid). The docuseries Angry Young Men is all about life lessons, learning, survival and a journey which will motivate every generation.

The series gives deeper insight into the lives of ace iconic duo Salim and Javed, who changed the way people viewed cinema and will transport you to the golden era of1970s.

Actors like Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Dharmendra among others spoke about working with Salim-Javed Several actors and writers called them arrogant as they refused to do certain things.

There was a rage in Indian cinema when Salim-Javed films focussed on 'angry young man' be it Deewar, Don, Sholay, Trishul, and Dostana among others be it action-packed high voltage drama.

From the angry young men genre to romance, their transformation and the films that they have written will forever be etched in our hearts.

What did the duo and other celebs share?

Salim Khan shared how he got writing. In the series, he said that he used to write love letters and never knew that he would write. Salim shared that he was in Indore when he would write romantic letters and helped meet lovers after he came to Mumbai. He struggled hard in Mumbai and didn't ask for money from his family to survive

Javed Akhtar in the series reminisced that he wanted to be a director, and when he came to Mumbai, he wanted to assist Guru Dutt. He didn't know life would take a U-turn.

In the docuseries, Shabana Azmi also heaped praise on the duo.

Farah Khan spoke about her mother Meneka Gandhi and Salim Khan acting in the film Bachpan and how it tanked at the box office.

Helen called Salim Khan a bad actor'.The second episode talks about Deewar and how it transformed Indian cinema. The film swept all the awards, and the duo Salim-Javed won best story, dialouges, and screenplay. In the same year, Sholay was also released, which was one of the best and most iconic films, but Deewar shattered all records.

Last words

Angry Young Men is a wholesome series filled with anecdotes, unseen pictures, videos, BTS from films and memories shared by actors, directors, and producers

The series doesn't cater to any generation but is solely for cinema lovers, be it Gen Z, millennials or even grandparents and senior citizens,. 

Let's take a look at what netizens have to say :

A user wrote, "Watching #AngryYoungMen on #AmazonPrime. It's a must-watch, not to learn about movies but about life, success and lessons. Few brilliant lines were used by people in the Biography and many learning that one can take away."

Another mentioned, "Being a follower and fan of Salim Javed sir, this series offers nothing new which is not already out in the public domain. I was expecting in-depth untold incidents especially, what made them break the partnership. Nevertheless, must watch."

The third one wrote, "#AngryYoungMen series is a good series if one knows nothing about the legend of Salim-Javed. It barely scratches the surface though with only 3 episodes. Most importantly it skips the reason behind their split."

The fourth one mentioned, "AngryYoungMen does a good job of keeping things breezy but wishes it had more on Salim-Javed's craft and process. There are a few bits to that end like where JA talks about consciously maintaining the brisk tempo of Don's screenplay. Just wish there was more of that stuff."

The next one mentioned, "Really well-made documentary on the two angry young men, who gave voice to us through another angry young man, Vijay! Vijay, naam toh suna hoga."