Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the legendary writing duo who transformed Bollywood with their iconic scripts, have recently come under fire for plagiarism accusations. Amit Aryan, known for writing popular TV shows like FIR and Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai, has labeled them “non-writers” and accused them of “plagiarising their entire life.” Aryan made these remarks in an interview with Digital Commentary, specifically targeting the iconic film Sholay.
Amit Aryan claims that Sholay was heavily influenced by the 1971 film Mera Gaon Mera Desh, directed by Raj Khosla. According to him, both films share significant similarities in their plotlines, particularly in the revenge arc involving a dacoit and a man with severed hands. Aryan also pointed out that even the villains’ names—Jabbar Singh in Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Gabbar Singh in Sholay—were suspiciously similar. He stated, “Salim and Javed are better businessmen and salesmen. They knew how to sell something and narrate it well,” accusing the duo of repackaging ideas rather than creating original work.
Veteran actor Dharmendra, who played lead roles in both Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Sholay, has responded to these allegations. In a conversation, Dharmendra downplayed the accusations, stating that he sees no meaningful similarity between the two films. He humorously remarked, “Maine dono filmon mein kaam kiya hai, mujhe toh koi same si baat nazar nahin aye. Haan, ek ka villain Jabbar Singh doosra ka Gabbar Singh. That doesn’t make them similar. They might be cousins. Who knows!” Dharmendra’s light-hearted response suggests that, despite the overlap in character names, he does not view the films as derivative of each other.
Aryan went into further detail, comparing the core elements of the two movies. He pointed out that both films feature a protagonist with a severed limb taking revenge against a dacoit, with the main difference being minor changes in character names and backgrounds. He also criticized Salim-Javed for being better at selling stories than creating them, likening them to “copywriters” rather than original writers.
While the plagiarism claims have stirred up controversy, Dharmendra’s response indicates that industry veterans like him are not giving much weight to these allegations.
