Legendary screenwriter Salim Khan recently appeared as a guest on NDTV's special show India Through the Eyes of Its Icons. During the conversation, he shared his incredible journey in the Indian film industry and highlighted the stark contrast between how writers were once undervalued and how he broke through those barriers to command more money than actors at one point in his career.
Salim Khan recalled his early days working as an assistant to Abrar Alvi, a time when the plight of writers was often overshadowed by the glamour of the stars. "When I used to work as an assistant with Abrar Alvi, writers were so poorly paid that you would feel pity hearing about it. Their remuneration was so meager, it's hard to explain. Writers had to come up with reasons just to ask for money-whether it was to pay school fees, renew a railway pass, or cover electricity bills," he shared, painting a picture of an era where writers were barely recognised for their crucial role in filmmaking.
However, Salim Khan's mindset shifted when he transitioned to acting, recognising that the strength of a film was not in its stars but in its script. "When I came and I started working as an actor, mujhe laga yeh actor log toh theek hai, lekin sab mein jo important cheez hai vo hai film ki script. Agar script kamzor hai ya script ready nahi hai toh film chal hi nahi sakti. It is impossible (When I transitioned to acting, I realized that while actors were important, the most critical aspect of a film is its script. If the script is weak or incomplete, the film simply cannot work. It's impossible. Every successful film from that era had an excellent script)," he said.
Salim Khan then recalled a pivotal conversation with Abrar Alvi, where he had boldly predicted a future where writers would earn as much as actors. "One day, I was sitting and talking, so I said, 'Abrar sahab, ek zamana aayega ke actor ke barabar paisa lega writer.' Then he asked me, 'kya kaha?' I repeated the words again. He replied, 'Miyan, mere saamne yeh baat kar rahe hai, kisi aur ke saamne baat karenge toh pagal kahega' I said, 'Abrar sahab, a time will come when writers will earn as much as actors.' He asked me, 'What did you say?' He had heard me but still asked again. So I repeated the words. He replied, 'Miyan, you're saying this in front of me. If you say this in front of someone else, they will call you crazy.' I asked, 'Why not?')"
The veteran screenwriter shared, "At that time, major stars like Dilip Kumar were earning 12 lakhs per film, while writers would only be paid a fraction of that-around 10,000-12,000 rupees." Despite Alvi's scepticism, Salim Khan said that he was convinced that if the script was strong, writers would eventually command the fees they deserved."
Years later, Salim Khan proved himself right. He recounted the moment when he finally surpassed an actor's pay, fulfilling his bold prediction. "Aur phir ek baar aisa hua ki maine actor se zyada paise liye. Uske baad maine unhe phone kiya aur kaha, 'Abrar sahab, do you remember that we had a conversation ki ek zamana aayega jab writer actor ke barabar paise lenge?' so he said, 'yes, my memory is very good.' And I said, 'Vo galat kaha tha maine.' So he asked, 'galat kya?' Toh maine bola ki 'actor ke barabar nahi, actor se zyaada paise liye hai maine' (And then, one time, I took more money than an actor. After that, I called him and said, 'Abrar sahab, do you remember we had a conversation about how a time would come when writers would earn as much as actors?' He said, 'Yes, I have a good memory.' And I told him, 'What I said was wrong.' He asked, 'What was wrong?' And I said, 'I didn't earn as much as the actor, I earned more.' At that time, the actor in my film was earning 12 lakhs, and I asked the producer to pay me 12.5 lakhs-and he agreed."
Salim Khan was last seen in their docu-series Angry Young Men alongside Javed Akhtar, which delves into the groundbreaking work of the legendary writers. The three-part documentary, directed by Namrata Rao and produced by Salman Khan Films, Excel Media and Entertainment, and Tiger Baby, features interviews with a host of stars including Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar.