Salim Khan returns to script writing for Salman & Sohail

The brilliant Salim-Javed duo gave to Hindi cinema some of its most important films in the 1970s and 80s before they parted ways. Since then Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar have been individually active in various creative capacities. Salim saab, as he is widely known in the film industry, has always been there as a script consultant for various young filmmakers and writers. Now for the first time since Patthar Ke Phool 21 years ago, Salim saab is being brought on officially to supervise the scripting of his son Salman Khan’s film. And the film is none other than Salim Saab’s younger son Sohail Khan dream directorial venture Sher Khan. The film already has on board two other writers Rumi Jaffery and Dilip Shukla. But Salim saab would be the pilot of the plot. He will be billed in the credit titles for his special creative contribution. Says Sohail, “My father is the script doctor on the project. He’s guiding all of us. My other writers Dililp Shukla and Rumi look up to him as much as Salman and I. So there’s no clash of interest. We all are counting on him to make Sher Khan one of the most special films in Bhai’s career. We’ve been working on the script for the last one year. And we’ve just locked it in ten days ago. I start shooting in October. However, if Arbaaz Bhai’s Dabangg 2 needs extra time I’d willingly and gladly postpone Sher Khan. Arbaaz Bhai is directing for the first time. And at the moment the entire family’s focus is on seeing Dabangg 2 to the finish. I can afford to wait. Thanks to my father’s contribution the screenplay of Sher Khan has turned out to be out of the world.” When one spoke to the soft spoken, warm and articulate Salim Khan he said, “I am there in the scriptwriting process of Sher Khan expressly to point out their mistakes, not to breathe down their necks. I don’t want to take away the credit from whatever those kids are doing.” Continues Salim Saab, “I am a farmer by nature. I like to nurture talent as much as trees. You must have seen when saplings are planted, protection is placed around the saplings to keep them away from predators. I am like that protection for these children who are doing Sher Khan, although I’ve to admit they’re capable of looking after themselves. I don’t want to make them self-conscious by constantly questioning them. They are capable of looking after the script. But since they’ve asked me to help them I presume they think I’m better informed and cleverer than them.” Salim saab feels it’s time to pass on the legacy. “The only thing that I certainly have which my sons don’t have is experience. It’s that experience which I am lending them. We’re friends working in the same team, plus there’s that regard they have for me. They don’t cross that line of decorum and I don’t demand anything from them.” Apparently in the past on some occasions when Salim saab’s suggestion was not accepted by Salman and Sohail the films bombed. Says the self-deprecating writer-father, “Jo maine seekha hai jo haasil kiya hai woh deke jaana hai. (Whatever I’ve learnt I have to pass on). It’s up to my children if they want to learn from my experiences or not. My advantage as a writer is that I’ve matured with the years. Stars get old, writers mature. So I guess I have certain wisdom of experience that Sohail is using