Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar were the revolutionary writing duo of their times but parted ways in 1982 after giving over 22 blockbusters together. In a fresh turn of events, the duo is now reuniting for a docu-series based on their life titled Angry Young Men. The director of this Prime Video project Namrata Rao recently spoke to ANI and shared how both families remained mutual despite the fallout. 

The National Award winner shared, “To date, Salim-Javed share friendly relations. (While making the docuseries), Salman Khan recalled how Salim Sahab advised his family to always maintain ‘dosti’ with the Akhtars despite his split with Javed Akhtar. Dono families ke beech kabhi kadwahat nahi aayi (The families never developed bitter feelings for each other).”

Namrata further spoke about Salim and Javed’s sense of humor and called them ‘interesting people’. She admitted that she got to learn a lot from them during the making of this docu-series and they were two funny bones. “Kahi baari toh set pe silence bolna padta tha kyuki unki baatein sunke sab hans padte the,” Rao said. 

Son of Sardaar 2 is finally on floors in the UK. With an impressive ensemble cast, the team is prepping to tickle some funny bones with the comic caper. But actor Vijay Raaz’s removal from the movie has brought the movie to the forefront. As reported by Pinkvilla on August 16, the Chandu Champion actor will now be replaced by actor Sanjay Mishra.

Expressing his delight in working with Ajay Devgn, the senior actor said that he shares a deep emotional bond with Ajay. “When my brother passed away, he was there to support me. We’ve always been there for each other through thick and thin. Whenever he calls me for a film project, it’s not just any other project but more than that it’s a testament to our friendship. Just a call from him is all it takes for me to be there, and he’s always there for me in the same way. That’s all I can say for now,” Sanjay Mishra expressed.

During an exclusive conversation with us, Kumar Mangat Pathak, who is co-producing Son of Sardaar 2 confirmed the news of Vijay’s removal from the film. He told us, “Yes, it’s true that we have removed Vijay Raaz from the film because of his behavior on the sets. He demanded bigger rooms, vanity van and also overcharged us for the spot boys. In fact, his spot boy was paid Rs.20,000 per night which is more than any big actor. The UK is an expensive place, and everyone got standard rooms during the shoot, but he demanded premium suites.”

Kumar further added, “When we tried explaining the costing scenario to him, he refused to understand, and spoke rudely. His constant response was, ‘Aap Logo Ne Mujhe Approach Kiya, Main Kaunsa Saamne Se Aya Kaam Mangne’. While we tried to accommodate all his demands, the behavior kept getting worse, as his demands never ended. He started to demand two cars for a 3-person staff to travel for as well. How can we do that? When the EP said no, he was rude to the EP (Executive Producer). After all the discussions, we decided to remove him from the film.”

However, Vijay had another tale to tell. According to him, the reason for his removal from the movie was because he didn’t greet Ajay when he arrived on the sets. The Dream Girl 2 actor exclaimed, “I reached the location before time for trial. I reached the van, and Ravi Kishan came to meet me. The EP, Ashish, and the producer Kumar Mangat came to meet me, followed by director Vijay Arora. I stepped out of the van and spotted Ajay Devgn standing around 25 metres away. I didn’t go to greet him as he was busy, and I continued to speak to my friends around. 25 minutes later, Mr. Kumar Mangat came to me and said, ‘Aap Film Se Nikal Jaaye, Hum Aapko Nikal Rahe Hai’.”

Vijay continued, “The only misconduct from my end is, I didn’t greet Mr. Ajay Devgn. I didn’t even meet the crew, and these are the only people I interacted with. I was removed from the film 30 minutes after reaching the sets, as I didn’t greet Ajay Devgn. These are powerful people, and the chatter of misconduct doesn’t arise at all.”

Son of Sardaar 2 is currently being shot in London with an impressive line-up of actors like Ravi Kishan, Mrunal Thakur, Chunkey Pandey, Vindu Dara Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Mukul Dev, Ashwini Kalsekar, Kubbra Sait, and Sanjay Dutt.