Salim Khan Says He, Javed Akhtar Were Called 'Pagal' For Asking More Money Than Actors: 'Koi Value Nahi...'

Globally, writers are acknowledged as the backbone of any successful film, but in Indian cinema, they’ve often been underappreciated. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, however, defied this norm. They revolutionised the industry by demanding fees on par with the top actors, proving that a powerful script could draw in audiences just as much as a star could. They became the only writing duo to achieve star status, with their names often billed alongside leading actors.

Recalling a time when Salim-Javed wanted more fee than the actor, Salim Khan told NDTV, “Ek film ke andar aisa hua ki humne actor se zyada paisa liya…Producer ko maine poocha kitna diya, Rs 12 lakh? Humne kahaan humein Rs 12.5 lakh chahiye. (There was a film where we took more money. We asked the producer ‘How much are you pacing the lead actor, he said ‘Rs 12 lakh’. We said, ‘We will take Rs 12.5 lakh’.) He agreed.”

Salim Khan mentioned that people in the industry thought they were ‘mad’. He said, “Bolte the pagal hai, ye pagalpane ki baat karte hain. Humne kaha theek hai mat do paise agar script chahiye toh isse kam main nahi milegi. Hum kahani sunane se pehle hi price bata dete the to voh bhi jhatka kha jate the. Jis zamane mein mushkil see Rs 10,000 milte the writers ko, hum lakho maangte the (They called us crazy. We said don’t give us money but if you need the script we will not go any lower than this. We used to tell our price even before telling the story, they used to get so shocked. In the time when the writers were not getting even Rs 10,000, we used to ask for lakhs of money).”

Salim Khan said that the motivation behind their demands was to seek fair compensation for writers and improve their situation. Salim Khan said, “Aisa lagta tha ki bohut jatti hain..jaise ki koi value nahi hain (We were not happy with the situation. It seemed as if writers had no value).”

In the late 1970s, Salim-Javed were synonymous with success, delivering unforgettable films like Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Zanjeer, Deewar, and Sholay. The series Angry Young Men recently revealed that at the height of their fame, they demanded and received a fee of Rs 21 lakh per film—an amount higher than what even Amitabh Bachchan, India’s highest-paid actor at the time, earned.