Veteran actor Dharmendra has responded to FIR writer Amit Aryan’s recent statement, in which he labeled the iconic writer duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar as “non-writers” and accused them of having “plagiarised their entire life.” Amit cited examples from Salim-Javed’s most iconic work, Sholay, claiming that it was copied from Raj Khosla’s Mera Gaon Mera Desh.
Dharmendra, who played lead roles in both films, reacted to the controversy in an interview with Zoom. He stated, “Maine dono filmon mein kaam kiya hai, mujhe toh koi same si baat nazar nahin aye. Haan, ek ka villain Jabbar Singh doosra ka Gabbar Singh. That doesn’t make them similar. (I have worked in both films and I don’t see any similarity. Yes, the villain in one film was Jabbar Singha and in other the villain was Gabbar Singh but that doesn’t make them similar). They might be cousins. Who knows!”
In an earlier interaction with Digital Commentary, Amit Aryan, known for writing shows and movies like FIR, Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai, Lapataganj, ABCD, and Do Knot Disturb, argued that Salim and Javed are more like “copy-writers” than actual writers, claiming that they didn’t produce any original work.
Amit compared Sholay to Mera Gaon Mera Desh, explaining, “Sholay features one man, whose hands were cut off and his family eliminated by a dacoit, trying to take revenge against his rival through other persons. In Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Vinod Khanna played a dacoit named Jabbar Singh, which became Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) in Sholay. Actor Jayant played a retired soldier in the Khosla movie whose one hand was cut off. In Sholay, there is a retired police officer (Sanjeev Kumar) instead with his both hands cut off. In Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Jayant’s character asks Dharmendra’s to take revenge on his behalf, which the latter initially declines but does in the end. In Sholay, one more character was added and with Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan also appeared.”
Amit further went on to call Salim and Javed as salesmen, “Salim and Javed are better businessmen and salesmen. They knew how to sell something and narrate it well,” he said.
The recent documentary Angry Young Man explores the writing partnership of Salim-Javed, highlighting how they not only earned the recognition they deserved as writers but also delivered a string of back-to-back hits and some of the most iconic films in the Hindi film industry. In the documentary, Salim and Javed acknowledged that their works were inspired by various international and Hindi films.
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