There is such a thing as the ‘Salim-Javed moment’. No, I’m not referring to memorable dialogues and scenes from their films. I’m talking about a sense of recognition that defines and magnifies their identities in ways that astound us. A Salim-Javed moment is a near-impossibility—an out of syllabus question. It underscores their ingenuity, yes, but also tells us something about our cinema culture, our latent possibilities, our subconscious lessons. Still confused? Let me answer this question with another question: What links Salim-Javed to Quentin Tarantino—or Deewar (1975) to Reservoir Dogs (1992)?