The series is divided into three episodes. The first episode, "Origins and Rise," begins with the early lives of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar when they moved to Mumbai, and struggled to establish themselves in the film industry. Salim Khan came from Indore with an interest in acting, while Javed Akhtar came from Bhopal with the aim of becoming a director, beginning as an assistant. The episode explores Salim’s roles as an actor in films such as Baraat (1960), Ramu Dada (1961), Professor (1962 film), and Bachpan (1963). He first met Javed on the set of Sarhadi Lutera (1966), with Salim as one of the stars and Javed as an assistant. After becoming friends, they worked as a ghostwriting team, developing the screenplay for Adhikar (1971). This led to positions with director Ramesh Sippy's company in the writing department. The episode then explores the birth of Salim-Javed as a writing team for films such as Andaz, Haathi Mere Saathi, Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), and Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). The episode ends with the development of the "angry young man" character (drawn from the difficulties that they experienced in their earlier years). It is embodied as "Vijay" by the actor Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer (1973).
The second episode, Golden Period highlights their rise, as well as that of "the angry young man" films (with Bachchan returning, often as “Vijay”). It highlights the two films that dominated 1975; Deewaar and Sholay, both of which are now considered two of the greatest films in Hindi cinema. These films reflected reflected the angst and mood of India in the 1970s, with regard to corruption, inequality, and public frustration. Deewar and Sholay in particular were released in the same year as The Emergency in 1975. The episode also examines the popularity of the films Trishul (1978) and Shakti (1982).
The third and final episode, Dissolution focuses on the films of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the decline of their partnership. It begins with their first failure, Immaan Dharam (1977), and then explores the films that followed. Their next film Don (1978) was a huge success and so was Trishul (1978) and Kaala Patthar (1979). It concludes with an examination of Dostana (1980) and Shaan (1980). The episode ends with the dissolution of the partnership, with family members and colleagues speaking openly about the reasons behind their split.
The series also looks at how Salim–Javed changed the status of screenwriters in the Hindi film industry, as they were among the first to demand credit and higher pay, which led to better recognition for writers.
