‘Salim-Javed were offended when I refused to do their film, asked for equal pay,’ recalls Zamana director: ‘Pagal ho kya?’

Salim-Javed were the highest-paid screenwriters in the Hindi film industry, and when a director asked for the same money as them, they didn't like it.

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, who wrote films such as Sholay, Deewaar, Yaadon Ki Baarat, among many others in the 1970s, were the highest-paid screenwriters of the Hindi film industry. After delivering several hits, Salim-Javed developed an unshakable confidence that no one could say no them. So, when a director refused to do their film, they were offended. Director Ramesh Talwar, who worked as an assistant with Yash Chopra for many years, and later directed films such as Doosara Aadmi, Baseraa, Sawaal, Duniya, among others, recently recalled an incident when he asked for the same payment as the writers, and left them shocked.

In a chat with the YouTube channel Friday Talkies, Ramesh recalled that Salm-Javed wanted him...