‘Are you mad?’ When the director laid such condition for Rishi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna’s film, Salim-Javed was enraged

Last update:February 22, 2025, 12:48 IST

Salim Khan Javed Akhtar Film: The pair of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar have written many superhit films. Each of his movies used to rock at the box office and that was the reason that his fees were also very high. Recently director Ramesh …Read more

New Delhi. In the 1970s, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s Hindi film industry used to play in the Hindi film industry. Both of them wrote many superhit films like ‘Sholay’, ‘Wall’, ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ together. He was the most expensive screenwriters of the film industry. It was a period when no one used to refuse his film. But a director refused to do Salim-Javed’s film. His name is Ramesh Talwar.

Ramesh Talwar worked as an assistant with Yash Chopra for many years. Then later directed films like ‘second man’, ‘Basera’, ‘Question’, ‘Duniya’. Recently, Ramesh Talwar told that he had demanded an equal fee of writers, due to which Salim-Javed was surprised.

Salim-Javed offer film
In an interview to YouTube channel Friday Talkies, Ramesh Talwar said, ‘Salim-Javed was a subject. He wanted me to direct the film, because he wanted to cast Rishi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna together and had a good friendship with both of them. Everyone knew that Rishi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna did not get among themselves and the reason for this was Dimple Kapadia. Because Dimple did his first film with Rishi and then married Rajesh. Because of this, there was a rift between the two.

Rishi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna’s ‘Jamana’ came in the year 1985.

Director laid 1 condition for the film
Ramesh Talwar told that he was not interested in doing the film ‘Jamana’, because he was based on Lost and Found Trop, which was common in Hindi films in those days. In films like ‘Samay’, ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, children get separated in childhood and meet growing up. Everyone used it in their films. However, Ramesh agreed to direct the film, but made a condition that he should get a fee equal to Salim-Javed.

Salim-Javed was angry
He told ‘I said okay, give me the fees, as much as you get. He said what does it mean? I said that give me as the amount of money you take. He said what are you crazy? He used to say that both used to take 7-7 lakh rupees for the film. I said give me 7 lakhs. He said that we have other directors, who charge 2 to two and a half lakh rupees. They are ready to do. I said take them. However, later Ramesh Talwar got the responsibility of directing the ‘Jamana’.

Ramesh Talwar got the film
The director said, ‘Whatever the reason behind that film I got, understand Rajesh Khanna or Rishi Kapoor. Anyway, he was openly discussed with his films. Even as an assistant director and I was always very honest about my response. So they knew that I knew my work. But I had demanded more fees just because at that time I was getting films worth 10 lakh rupees. But they were paying very little money. Well, such things used to happen in the industry.

Why did the film be delayed?
Ramesh Talwar told that there was a lot of delay in the construction of ‘Jamana’, because the financers were not from the film industry. The shooting of 80 percent of the film was completed and then the shooting had to be stopped, as the finances suddenly had a shortage of money. Meanwhile, Rishi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna gave their dates to someone else and it took a long time for the film to reach theaters. This movie was released in the year 1985. It is known that the year Salim-Javed was separated in the year 1982.