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His reading habit was so varied that in his early teens, he was reading both Maxim Gorkyβs Mother and the detective thrillers (Jasoosi Duniya) of Ibn-e-Safi. The detective thrillersβbe it Indian or American pulp fictionβwere a big favourite for their fast action, tight plots and economies of expression. He remembers the novels of Ibn-e-Safi for their fascinating characters with memorable names. βIbn-e-Safi was a master at naming his characters. All of us who read him remember those names . . . There was a Chinese villain, his name was Sing Hi. There was a Portuguese villain called Garson . . . an Englishman who had come to India and was into yoga . . . was called Gerald Shastri.β This technique of giving catchy names to characters would stay with him. The wide range of reading not only gave him the sensitivity with which progressive writers approached their subjects but also a very good sense of plot and speaking styles. Here, it would be apt to quote a paragraph from Ibn-e-Safiβs detective novel, House of Fearβfeaturing his eccentric detective, Imran. The conversation takes place just outside a nightclub: βSo, young man. So now you have also starred frequenting these places?β βYes. I often come by to pay Flush,β Imran said respectfully. βFlush! Oh, so now you play Flush . . .β βYes, yes. I feel like it when I am a bit drunk . . .β βOh! So you have also started drinking?β βWhat can I say? I swear Iβve never drunk alone. Frequently I find hookers who do not agree to anything without a drink . . .β This scene would find a real-life parallel as well as a fictional one in Javedβs life later. Javed
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Diptakirti Chaudhuri (Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters)