The opportunity to do a docuseries on Salim and Javed came Namrata Rao’s way when Zoya Akhtar (Javed Akhtar’s daughter) asked Namrata in December 2020 if she would like to direct it. “Actually in 2018, we, Zoya and I were both doing the anthology Lust Stories together. She had done this anthology where I was editing for her, and we used to talk about a lot of films, documentaries and that’s when she told me that she had this idea of doing a film, documentary on Salim and Javed and she wanted to call it Angry Young Men and I was really taken up by it. I thought that it would be great and we spoke a lot about it and then during the pandemic 2020, she asked me if I would like to direct it. I was looking to direct for some time and I thought it would be a great opportunity. So I said yes immediately and that’s how it happened. When I started I knew it is going to be a great responsibility on how the story is told, whether it comes to full potential, you know because they have this huge body of work. So I was, of course, very nervous.”
The docu-series took three years to complete. “The whole editing process was also very long. So you took it day by day, you know, you don’t think about the responsibility every day. But then it again dawns on you when it is done, when the cut is ready, and you’re like, Oh, my God, have I done justice to it or not? So yeah, I mean, that sense of responsibility was always there. And you’re always wondering, you know, what else can I do? How can I push it? What can I do? What else can I do? It was difficult getting time from people to speak for the documentary. But once they were there, I think people came with the idea of opening up.
So it was much easier once they agreed to do it and they gave us the time. But of course, getting time was very tough. I felt that there were easy parts and there were tough parts. And because you have to win the trust of the person who’s answering the questions. And once that happens, it becomes easier. But to win that trust, of course, you have to work hard.”
Namrata’s takeaway from the experience? “My biggest takeaway is that you really have to believe in yourself, dream big and back yourself up on your dreams. Because to me, it’s a story of manifestation. It’s a story of fulfilling your dreams. And also, very importantly, that in creative endeavours, there is not really any failure, and you keep building on things, and you know, you every failure is a stepping stone to something better that you can do you grow and evolve as a creative person, understanding, you know, okay, this could have been better, or I could have pushed this envelope here a little more. So my biggest takeaway is that, like Javed Saab says, Kal Jahan Deewar Thi Hai Aaj Ek Dar Dekhiye Kya Samayi Thi Bhala Deewane Ke Sar Dekhiye, so I think somewhere that is a big takeaway for me.”
