Dr. Salman Akhtar talks about Bollywood and the Indian unconsciousness. In Part-III he talks about female sexuality and the angry young man phase of Hindi films.We start the discussion with the lyrics of a song that his father Jaan Nissar Akhtar wrote for Prem Parbat. Through this song Dr. Akhtar discusses how female sexuality slowly came to be accepted in Hindi films. This was different when compared to the male sexual anxiety that informed many of the films made during the 1950s and 1960s. The song was initially banned by the censor board, but was eventually passed by the board.

The 1970s also saw the emergence and phenomenal success of Salim-Javed, who wrote Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay and other superhit films. This period also saw the birth of the angry young man, often portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan. Listen to what Dr. Akhtar has to say on the subject. Have you ever wondered why or how Amitabh Bachchan was able to play this angry young man role successfully time after time?

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar eventually split and went their different ways. Salim’s son are Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail. Javed’s son is Farhan Akhtar and daughter is Zoya Akhtar.

Dr. Akhtar explains the history and evolution of Indian cinema by looking at the political and social underpinning and landscape of India. According to Dr. Akhtar Hindi films in many ways reflects Indian society at any given period and Hindi films depict and satisfy a cultural hunger and individual and psychological dilemmas at any given period of time.

Dr. Salman Akhtar comes from a family of poets and his father Jaan Nissar Akhtar, a well-known poet and lyricist who was a contemporary of Kaifi Azmi. His mother Safiya was a professor and the sister of Majaz, another well-known poet. Dr. Akhtar is the brother of Javed Akhtar.

Dr. Akhtar grew up in Lucknow and later on migrated to the US where he currently lives and works.

Bollywood Hindi Cinema India Podcast Indian Podcast