PremiumDeewar turns 50; Javed Akhtar celebrates his Angry Young Man era with love: ‘How time passes so quietly and so quickly’
Deewar starring Amitabh Bachchan released on January 21, 1975 and turns 50 years today; Javed Akhtar writes a beautiful tweet.
Javed Akhtar Reacts To 50 Years OF Deewar
Last Updated: 05.56 PM, Jan 21, 2025
Cinema at this point is witnessing the rise of the hero who is a saviour and knows nothing but being brutal. While they could be in variations, they are still the fragments of one cinema phenomenon created in the 1970s: the Angry Young Man. While the ideology of each character is different, they all are heavily inspired by this phenomenon created by the legendary genius Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan. What started in 1973 with Zanjeer gave way to Deewar in 1975. The second film established Amitabh Bachchan as the Angry Young Man and Salim-Javed as the curators of this new phenomenon that Hindi cinema was craving for years. Deewar turns 50 today, and Javed Akhtar has shared a beautiful reaction to the same.
Javed Akhtar Reacts To 50 Years Of Deewar
For the unversed, Deewar was directed by Yash Chopra and written by Salim-Javed. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Nirupa Roy, Neetu Kapoor, and an ensemble cast. Just like their other movies, Deewar saw the writers looking at society and its problems but with an entertaining gaze. It worked for the masses, who were craving a hero who would rise from among them—a relatable next-door neighbour, but with panache. Javed Akhtar, in his tweet, has now spoken about how swiftly time passes.
He wrote, “Deewaar was released on 21st January 1975. Theek pachaas saal pehle. How time passes so quietly and so quickly. It is happening all the time but remains a wonder!!” The tweet is garnering so many reactions from fans spread across generations and age groups. Deewar did a lot for Hindi cinema and is one of the landmark movies with very high recall value.
Salim-Javed Chose Amitabh Bachchan Over Rajesh Khanna For Deewar
Did you know the initial choice for Deewar was not Amitabh Bachchan but Rajesh Khanna? Salim-Javed had resurrected Bachchan’s career, who had experienced many dud movies before Zanjeer. But they were convinced only Amitabh would look good as their Vijay, and there was no way they would cast anyone else. In an old interview with Lehren Podcast, Salim Khan recounted the decision to choose Amitabh Bachchan over Rajesh Khanna. He said, “There is something like ideal and compromising casting. We strongly felt that Amitabh Bachchan was the ideal casting for Deewaar.”
He added, “Rajesh Khanna was signed by Deewaar’s producer Gulshan Rai, but we very strongly felt that the story’s right casting was Amitabh Bachchan. We insisted that if you want to make this film, then only Amitabh will work in this. Maybe the film would have worked with someone else, but it wouldn’t have been ideal casting. It would have been a compromise.”
Deewar is streaming on ShemarooMe, and you can watch it with your OTTplay Premium subscription too. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.