Zoya Akhtar confirms working on crime mafia film; recalls Salim-Javed's writing style and how they didn't resort to 'cheap tricks'

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar confirmed that she worked on the crime mafia film. She also spoke about the writing style of her father Javed Akhtar and his former writing partner Salim Khan. The Archies director is currently busy promoting the docudrama series Angry Young Men. In a recent interview, the renowned filmmaker also revealed how her father's work has influenced her work.

In a recent chat with Indian Express, Zoya Akhtar was asked about the reports that she is planning to make a gangster film after The Archies that would mirror the works of Salim-Javed. In her reply, the filmmaker confirmed this and stated that she has been working on the script.

She said: “I'm working on the crime mafia movie! I'm working on the script right now. So keep your fingers crossed that something comes out of it, something serious!”

Furthermore, the filmmaker also explained how she was inspired by Salim-Javed's work. The filmmaker made her directorial debut with Luck By Chance in 2009, which starred her brother Farhan Akhtar. To make her point, Zoya revealed that legendary writers' characters were not “black and white” and had ambiguities, including their hero.

When asked if there are any particular lessons to be learned from Salim-Javed's works, the filmmaker highlighted that her characters have certain shades of grey. Not everything fits together very well, which is also reflected in her work.

Admitting that their characters are not entirely black or white, she said, “The fact that they (Salim-Javed) did not resort to cheap tricks, they were never vulgar. That influenced our work. We also had respect for the ensemble. Even if it is a one-scene character, it should have a certain charm and resonance. These things come from them.”

Akhtar added that Salim-Javed's world was male-driven, but even in it, women were portrayed with agency. She further pointed out how these characters would respond to stronger women. Even in the male-dominated stories, “none of the women were props,” she said, stressing that they all had something to do in the film. “They all had a job, even if it wasn't explained, they had an identity,” she said.

During the conversation, she recalled how her brother Farhan Akhtar noted that Parveen Babi's character in Deewaar was a night worker. Yet, there was a certain balance in this relationship and the way they were treated. According to Zoya, the legendary writers never decided on this, rather it “came to them from the beginning”.

Furthermore, Angry Young Men director Namrata Rao revealed that her upcoming docudrama series explores gender dynamics in Salim Javed's works, adding that both of them now honestly admit to having messed up in their portrayal of women too.

She revealed that they have gone into the nitty gritty in the show but there are things that the legendary writers were not aware of. They have this self-reflection when they admit that they could have written the character of Geeta differently. Explaining her point, she narrated how Akhtar pointed out that he would never write something like that today when Geeta goes to Seeta's house and aspires to sew and cook like Seeta.

“Why would Geeta want to do that? She is great just the way she is. He said, 'tab hume pata he nahi tha (we didn't know that then),' but I would never do that today,” she said.

“Angry Young Men” will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting August 20.

READ ALSO: ‘Angry Young Men’ trailer: Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and others give a glimpse into Salim-Javed’s ‘hottest writing jodi’