“He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl, He’s always at home with his back to the wall. And he’s proud of his scars and the battles he’s lost, And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross-And he likes to be known as the angry young man.” - Billy Joel, 'Angry Young Man'
He counter culture wave of the 1960s spawned many rebels - with or without a cause. But the one rebellious image that has remained the most enduring is that of the ‘angry young man’, indelibly etched into the hearts and minds of all Indians who have been fans of Amitabh Bachchan’s portrayal of protagonists modeled on that concept. The 70s were a time in India where a lot in the system seemed wrong. Restrictions stifled creative vents; politics had held economic development hostage and the rising unemployment and disillusionment with the establishment tormented the youth. As a protest symbol, the concept of the rebellious angry young man was an import from Britain (specifically realist theater in London in the 50s and 60s) but Amitabh Bachchan’s characters gave the term a whole new spin representing the hero battling injustice. ‘Vijay’ was created by Salim-Javed in numerous scripts, most memorably in films like “Zanjeer”, ‘Shakti’ and “Deewar”. Says film producer Ramesh Sippy, who was the producer and director of “Sholay”, “The term ‘angry young man’ was coined for Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and the credit goes to Salim-Javed who gave a vent to the burning anger of a common man in the society. Their films “Deewar” and “Zanjeer” were the trendsetters and there is no one more apt and befitting for the role of angry young man than Amitabh Bachhan.” Sippy’s assessment is perhaps based on the adulation that Bachchan earned by playing a character that touched a chord with the viewers at large providing them a sort of a moral anchor as well as the inspiration to rebel against injustice.
He counter culture wave of the 1960s spawned many rebels - with or without a cause. But the one rebellious image that has remained the most enduring is that of the ‘angry young man’, indelibly etched into the hearts and minds of all Indians who have been fans of Amitabh Bachchan’s portrayal of protagonists modeled on that concept. The 70s were a time in India where a lot in the system seemed wrong. Restrictions stifled creative vents; politics had held economic development hostage and the rising unemployment and disillusionment with the establishment tormented the youth. As a protest symbol, the concept of the rebellious angry young man was an import from Britain (specifically realist theater in London in the 50s and 60s) but Amitabh Bachchan’s characters gave the term a whole new spin representing the hero battling injustice. ‘Vijay’ was created by Salim-Javed in numerous scripts, most memorably in films like “Zanjeer”, ‘Shakti’ and “Deewar”. Says film producer Ramesh Sippy, who was the producer and director of “Sholay”, “The term ‘angry young man’ was coined for Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and the credit goes to Salim-Javed who gave a vent to the burning anger of a common man in the society. Their films “Deewar” and “Zanjeer” were the trendsetters and there is no one more apt and befitting for the role of angry young man than Amitabh Bachhan.” Sippy’s assessment is perhaps based on the adulation that Bachchan earned by playing a character that touched a chord with the viewers at large providing them a sort of a moral anchor as well as the inspiration to rebel against injustice.
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