Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar pictured together.
Salim-Javed, who were regarded as significant and powerful as the leading actors of their era, transformed the status of writers in Hindi cinema. The legendary pair wrote 24 films together, 22 of which were successful at the box office. Even though screenwriters and other technicians in a movie production usually do not have as much influence as the leading star, there was a time when Salim-Javed used to charge more money than the biggest of stars.
In a conversation with NDTV, Salim Khan said that he and Javed Akhtar were insistent on being paid well because the script remains the most important part of the film. He said, “Ek film ke andar aisa hua ki humne actor se zyada paisa liya…Producer ko maine poocha kitna diya 12 lakh humne kahaan humein 12.5 lakh. [There was a film where we took more money. We asked the producer ‘How much are you pacing the lead actor, he said ‘Rs 12 lakh'. We said, ‘We will take Rs 12.5 lakh'. He agreed]"
The iconic duo didn't think they would ask for more money than the actors, but they wanted to better the situation for writers. Salim Khan said, “Aisa lagta that ki bohut jatti hain..jaise kikoi value nahin hain [We ere not happy with the situation. It seemed as if writers had no value].”
Then Salim-Javed did something unheard of. Zanjeer, the iconic Amitabh Bachchan movie, did not have credits of the writers. What did they do? “Humne ek painter ko bola ki purra Bombay ke posters mein Salim-Javed likh do. Sako jhatka laga. Log bole aap aise na karo, naamdenge hum. [We hired a painter and asked him to put our name in posters across the city. People were shocked],” said Salim Khan.
Salim Khan was also asked about the industry's reaction to their asking price. To which he said, "Bolte the pagal hai, ye pagalpane ki baat karte hain. Humne kaha theek hai mat do paise agar script chahiye to is see kam m nahi milegi. Hum kahani sunane se pehle hi price bta dete they to vo bhi jhatka kha jate the. Jis zamane m mushkil see Rs 10,000 milte the writers ko, hum lakho maangte the. [They called us crazy, used to say we talk in madness. We said okay don't give us money but if you need the script we will not go any lower than this. We used to tell our price even before telling the story, they used to get so shocked. In the time, when the writers were not getting even Rs 10,000, we used to ask for lakhs of money]"
Angry Young Men, a docu-series based on Salim-Javed's life, also touches upon this anecdote. It showed how at the height of their fame, Salim-Javed received payments of Rs 21 lakh for each film—more than even Amitabh Bachchan, who was the highest-paid actor in India at the time. The show also explores Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar's personal lives.
Salim-Javed delivered numerous Bollywood hits, including Haathi Mere Saathi, Seeta Aur Geeta, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Deewaar, Sholay, Trishul, Don, and many more.