Mumbai, March 26: Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar were the scriptwriter duo who could make or break careers of actors during the Seventies.
Their script for Zanjeer launched Amitabh Bachchan as the angry young man. It became the game changer in Bollywood ushering in an era of action hero-oriented films.
Recently, Amit Mehra, son of late Prakash Mehra, the maker of the original Zanjeer, announced that he would produce its remake. '
Salim Khan contacted MP Javed Akhtar after the announcement.
"The first thing I did was to call up Javed saab.He feels our stand on the issue is very strong and plans to bring it up in Delhi shortly", Salman's father said.
Said Salim Khan, "I didn't even know who was remaking Zanjeer. I just heard about it eight days ago, and called up my lawyer.
"It would have been the decent thing to do for them to tell us about the project. But no one has bothered to talk to us. "
Said Javed Akhtar: "I think there is a moral issue involved in the debate that goes beyond legal issues.
"Perhaps the people who are thinking of remaking Zanjeer have paid for the rights to do so.
"But creative rights are not like buying property. Salim Saab and I wrote Zanjeer. It is our moral right to be informed about any plans to use our creative resources. "
Salim Khan,who hopes for a fruitful dialogue with Amit Mehra said: "I'll be taking a very firm legal stand on this to find out what their position is on copyright correctness. Still, given a chance, I'd rather settle the matter through dialogue rather than legally. "
Says Amit Mehra: "I can never think of starting my production house and Zanjeer without the blessings of Salim uncle and Javed uncle. They're family to me. After dad passed away, they've been like my guardians.
"Their contribution to most of my dad's films, particularly Zanjeer, can't be undermined. '
Asked why he didn't contact the former scriptwriter duo, Mehra said: " The film's production is at a nascent stage.I want to meet them and seek their blessings once everything is confirmed".
