5 min readChennaiFeb 18, 2026 08:25 PM IST
Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar are regarded as the biggest screenwriters the Hindi film industry has ever seen, delivering all-time classics such as Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, Kaala Patthar and several others. At the peak of their career, the iconic Salim–Javed duo enjoyed a level of fame that even surpassed that of the biggest superstars of the era. In fact, they were known to command fees higher than top Bollywood actors, including Amitabh Bachchan. However, after delivering Shakti in 1982, the legendary writer duo decided to part ways and pursue independent careers.
It was important to prove myself after parting ways with Javed: Salim Khan
In an old interaction with film trade analyst Komal Nahta, both Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar spoke candidly about the phase when their partnership ended and how it impacted them personally and professionally. Salim admitted that many within the film industry believed that Javed Akhtar was the primary creative force in the partnership, which made it crucial for him to prove his own worth as a solo writer. Determined to silence doubts, Salim went on to deliver a major hit with Naam, starring Sanjay Dutt and Amrita Singh.
He said, “There must have been some problem with my personality because many people perceived that Javed Sahab used to write most of the things. So, it was important for me to prove myself. Even people from the industry would ask me who among you both used to write?”
Defending himself against the assumptions, Salim added, “We both used to give ideas and write the script. Those who didn’t like Javed Akhtar said that I wrote the scripts and those who didn’t like me said Javed sahab wrote the scripts. Also, I left a lot of films and people blamed me saying that I develop cold feet. So for me, Naam success was very important.”
‘Cried after seeing my name solo on screen after 4 years’
Salim Khan also recalled the deeply emotional moment when he saw his name alone on the screen after a gap of four years. He spoke about how overwhelming it was to finally receive solo credit after the long lull following the breakup of the partnership. He said, “So, after four years when my name appeared on the screen, solo ‘Story, screen page and dialogue by Salim Khan’ I had tears in my eyes, and I couldn’t even look at the screen. I saw my name solo on the screen after four years.”
‘My phone didn’t ring for 4 years after parting ways with Javed’
Salim further shared that while he was at the peak of his career with Javed Akhtar, his phone would never stop ringing due to back-to-back success. However, the situation changed dramatically once the duo separated. “There was a time when our films, Sholay, Deewar, Trishul, they were all a hit. Almost 10 films were a hit in one row, at that time, I had to keep my phone’s receiver off in the evening while taking my drink because I used to get so many calls. But after me and Javed Akhtar separated, during those four years after the separation when I didn’t get work, I used to pick up my phone to just to check whether it was working or not.”
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The perfect rapport that we had was not there anymore: Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar also reflected on the end of their celebrated partnership and said that the separation came naturally as their creative interests began to diverge. When asked if parting ways was painful, Javed offered a nuanced response, saying, “Yes and no. I had thought that we would not be able to deliver the kind of work that we had already done. I thought that this partnership is over.”
He elaborated further, “One thing was that the work that we brought in, there were so many copies of that same thing that in the crowd our work got lost. Also, it was not looking like we were getting some good stories and thoughts that excite us. Secondly, this task of writing together is very tricky. Earlier, I would understand Salim Khan’s thoughts even without him saying it. We had so much understanding, but when you grow up and develop different circles, we weren’t staying together from morning to evening anymore, so the perfect repo that we had was not there anymore.”
