As Salim Khan turns 90 today, we can't help but wonder what if two struggling writers hadn't bumped into each other on a film set in '66?

Salim Khan was born on this day in 1935, in Indore, a city that probably never guessed it'd gift Bollywood one-half of its most explosive screenwriting team. But here's the thing: Salim's story isn't solo. Strip away Javed Akhtar, and you lose half the magic - like trying to watch Sholay without Jai or Veeru. Together, as Salim-Javed, they didn't just write scripts; they rewired an entire industry's brain. How? Let's backtrack and have a look!

The Accidental Alchemy

Salim Khan (on the left) and Javed Akhtar

(Screengrab from ‘Angry Young Men’ on Prime Video)

It's the mid-60s, Salim's acting career's fizzling (25 films deep, and he knew he wasn't cut out for hero roles, his own words), while Javed's grinding as a dialogue assistant under poet Kaifi Azmi. They meet during Sarhadi Lutera (1966), click over chai or cigarettes, and decide, "Hey, maybe two flops make a hit?". Salim plotted; Javed dialogue-d. Simple division of labor, right? Except it wasn't. It was alchemy.

Salim-Javed made the iconic ‘Angry Young Man’ in Zanjeer

Their first proper bang? Zanjeer (1973). That film didn't just succeed - it detonated, giving us Inspector Vijay Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan's breakout as the "angry young man". Before this, Bollywood was drowning in romance, flowers, and hero-saves-damsel yawns. Salim-Javed flipped it: heroes could brood, rage, even bend the law. India in the '70s - post-Emergency vibes, unemployment riots - needed that outlet. They channeled national angst into blockbuster gold.

The Blockbuster Blueprint

(@LehrenPodcast/Youtube)

Between 1971 and 1987, they co-wrote 24 films; 20 hit jackpot. Not sequels or franchises - original stories, each distinct. Remember Deewaar (1975) - brothers on opposite sides of law, that gut-punch "Mere paas maa hai" line? And Sholay (1975), where Dacoit Western meets masala - "Kitne aadmi the?" It still echoes in memes today.

Don (1978)? Double roles and twisty plots. They pioneered the three-act structure, tight character arcs, and dialogues that became street slang.

Here's what's wild: they made screenwriters celebrities. Before them, who knew writers' names? Directors, stars - sure. But Salim-Javed got title cards, fees rivaling actors, fans mobbing premieres. They basically invented the Bollywood blockbuster format as we gulp down today - high stakes, grey heroes, social commentary wrapped in entertainment.

Salima Khan (right) and Javed Akhtar

The Split Nobody Saw Coming

In the mid-80s, partnership was over between Salima and Javed - no drama, no press conference. They just stopped. Mr. India (1987) released from an old script, then silence. Salim wrote 15 more films solo, like Naam (1986); Javed pivoted hard into lyrics, penning gems for Lagaan, 1942: A Love Story. Both thrived separately, yet fans still wonder: why split? Ego? Creative differences? They've never fully spilled.

Plot twist - 2024's Prime Video documentary ‘Angry Young Men’ got people buzzing, and Javed hinted they might reunite for one last script. Forty years later! Talk about a comeback.

Angry Young Men (The Salim-Javed story) directed by Namrata Rao

(Credit:iMDb)

Salman Khan - Salim's son - barely worked with Dad (just Patthar Ke Phool, Majhdhaar), but the legacy looms. Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, Javed's kids, carry the Excel Entertainment torch with Dad's lyrical touch. The duo's DNA? Everywhere. Every time a hero punches corruption mid-monologue or a villain gets a backstory, thank Salim-Javed.

On his 90th, we toast Salim - not just for scripts, but for proving two outsiders with guts can rewrite rules. And maybe, just maybe, one more collab's brewing.