Sholay is an immortal and block buster multi starrer film that changed the course of Indian cinema. The 1975 action-adventure film was written by Salim–Javed, directed by Ramesh Sippy, and produced by his father G. P. Sippy. Sholay is considered as a classic and one of the best Indian films produced ever. It ranked first in the British Film Institute’s 2002 poll of “Top 10 Indian Films” of all time. In 2005, the judges of the 50th Filmfare Awards named it the Best Film of 50 Years.
The film was such a success that the screen characters of the film are still remembered by every household in India even after four decades today. The friendship of lead characters Veeru and Jai (played by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan respectively) is still referred by youngsters while talking to their friends. The retired police officer aka Thakur Sahab (played by Sanjeev Kumar), the ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh (played by Amjad Khan), the charming Basanti (played by Hema Malini) and Radha (played by Jaya Bhaduri) made some of the best performances of their life time that made Sholay an ever successful movie.
Shooting Location
The film was shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, in the southern state of Karnataka, over a span of two and a half years. After the Central Board of Film Certification mandated the removal of several violent scenes, Sholay was released with a length of 198 minutes. In 1990, the original director’s cut of 204 minutes became available on home media. When first released, Sholay received negative critical reviews and a tepid commercial response, but favourable word-of-mouth publicity helped it to become a box office success. It broke records for continuous showings in many theatres across India, and ran for more than five years at Mumbai’s Minerva theatre. The film was also an overseas success in the Soviet Union. It was the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time, and was the highest-grossing film in India. By some accounts, Sholay still remains the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, adjusted for inflation.
The music of the film was also a super hit in the public domain. The combined sales of the original soundtrack, scored by R. D. Burman, and the dialogues (released separately), set new sales records. The film’s dialogues became extremely popular, contributing to numerous cultural memes and becoming part of India’s daily vernacular.
Cast
Dharmendra as Veeru
Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur Baldev Singh
Hema Malini as Basanti
Amitabh Bachchan as Jai (Jaidev)
Jaya Bhaduri as Radha, Thakur’s daughter-in-law
Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh
Satyen Kappu as Ramlaal, Thakur’s servant
L.K. Hangal as Rahim Chacha, the imam in the village
Sachin as Ahmed, son of the imam
Jagdeep as Soorma Bhopali, a comical wood trader
Leela Mishra as Mausi, Basanti’s maternal aunt
Asrani as the Jailor, a comical character modelled after Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator
Keshto Mukherjee as Hariram, prison barber and Jailor’s side-kick
Mac Mohan as Sambha, Gabbar Singh’s sidekick
Viju Khote as Kaalia, another of Gabbar’s men whom he kills in a game of Russian roulette
Iftekhar as Inspector Khurana, Radha’s Father
Helen in a special appearance in the super hit song “Mehbooba Mehbooba”
Jalal Agha in a special appearance in the super hit song “Mehbooba Mehbooba”
