They’ve weaved tales that have gone on to become evergreen cinematic classics, but it is their own story that has caught the attention of cinephiles over the years. Ardent admirers of writers Salim-Javed—comprising Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar—will witness the story of how two of Bollywood’s greatest writers came to be collaborators as the makers of Angry Young Men eye an OTT release.

The docudrama that was initially announced in 2021 is set to chronicle the lives of the duo that worked together on 24 films between 1971 and 1987. In their journey spanning several decades, they interacted with and influenced the lives of several artistes, many of whom fittingly contributed to the short. Khan’s son Arbaaz says the veteran’s friends and family found in their lives enough fodder for the making of the documentary.

“They are legends and need to be documented appropriately. They have never been documented, be it in books or autobiographies. [Without this film], their grandchildren would not know about their humble existence, rise to fame, or why they went their separate ways. The platform that [our family] has in the film industry today is due to the base that they built,” says Arbaaz.

The actor-producer shares that work on the documentary has wrapped up. “I believe it has been picked up by an OTT platform. It is expected to come out in the next two to three months,” says Arbaaz, who also filmed his father and Akhtar for his show, The Invincible Series with Arbaaz Khan.

A source close to the production says that the documentary’s title traces back to the character that the two created for Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer (1973).

“This film will showcase rare footage of them and their movies. It will also include interviews of people they worked with and their friends and family who have shared the stories behind their screenplays, and how some of their iconic characters came to be.”

Initially slated as a theatrical release, the makers felt the film deserved to unfold on the web platform owing to the “sheer volume” of content they planned to include. “Zoya [Javed Akhtar’s daughter] has been documenting them for a while because she knew she wanted to record their rise to fame.”

Directed by Namrata Rao, the film will be co-produced by the writer-duo’s children, Salman, Zoya, and Farhan.