Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son
Ramesh SippyRamesh Sippy is an Indian film director, probably best-known for directing the popular and critically acclaimed film Sholay ....
. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars
DharmendraDharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...
,
Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
,
Hema MaliniHema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and
Amjad KhanAmjad Khan was an acclaimed Indian actor and director. He worked in over 130 films in his film career spanning nearly twenty years. He enjoyed popularity for his villainous roles in Hindi films the most famous being the unforgettable Gabbar Singh in 1975 classic Sholay...
. The film, shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara,
KarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, is the story of two criminals hired to capture a ruthless
dacoitDacoity is a term used for "banditry" in India. The spelling is the anglicized version of the Hindi word and as a colloquial Anglo-Indian word with this meaning, also appears in the Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases Banditry is criminal activity involving robbery by groups of...
by the name of Gabbar Singh.
When first released,
Sholay opened to a tepid response, but word of mouth convinced audience members to give the film a chance, and soon it became a box office phenomenon. It ran for 286 weeks straight (more than five years) in one
MumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
theatre.
Sholay achieved a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees (50 consecutive weeks) across India. It was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver jubilee (25 weeks) at over a hundred theaters across India. By some accounts,
Sholay is the highest grossing film of all time in
Indian cinemaThe cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
when inflation is considered, although such figures are not known with certainty.
In 2005,
IndiatimesIndiatimes is the Internet subsidiary of The Times of India Group, under which, some of the largest websites in India - The Times of India, The Economic Times, Navbharat Times and Maharashtra Times operate....
ranked the film amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films". That same year, the judges of the 50th annual
Filmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
gave it a special award called
Best Film of 50 YearsThe Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years was a rare award only given once to celebrate the 50th Filmfare Anniversary. If the award is repeated, the award will be given to a film at Filmfare's 100th anniversary....
. The film topped the
British Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time.
Plot
The small village of Ramgarh is home to ex-policeman
ThakurThakur is an Indian feudal title in several Indian languages, literally meaning "lord". A Thikana is the state or estate of a Thakur. A Thakurani is the wife of a Thakur...
Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar). The film begins with the Thakur summoning an old colleague and requesting him to track down a pair of small-time thieves he once apprehended in the line of duty. Though the two petty criminals Veeru (
DharmendraDharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...
) and Jaidev (
Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
) are notorious, the Thakur feels that they would be the ideal men to help him end the tyranny of Gabbar Singh (
Amjad KhanAmjad Khan was an acclaimed Indian actor and director. He worked in over 130 films in his film career spanning nearly twenty years. He enjoyed popularity for his villainous roles in Hindi films the most famous being the unforgettable Gabbar Singh in 1975 classic Sholay...
), an infamous dacoit (bandit) wanted by the authorities for a Rs 50,000 reward. After scenes showing how the three fought together during a train robbery attempt, and how the criminals often get in and out of jail, Veeru and Jai are found and brought to Ramgarh. They are told by the Thakur that they are to bring Gabbar to him alive for Rs 20,000, plus the Rs 50,000 reward.
Three of Gabbar's enforcers arrive in Ramgarh to collect supplies from the defenseless villagers, but they go back empty-handed due to Veeru and Jai's intervention. In Gabbar's camp, the tyrant interrogates the three about why they were defeated by only two men. His psychotic nature is shown when he subjects his men to a twisted version of
Russian rouletteRussian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
, but eventually shoots the three men dead.
Gabbar attacks Ramgarh on
HoliHoli , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
, and in a tough battle, Veeru and Jai meet their match and are held at gunpoint. With his two recruits facing death, Thakur has a chance to throw a gun to Veeru. Instead of helping, he simply stands watching. With quick thinking, Veeru and Jai manage to save their lives. They then state their intentions to leave the villagers to defend themselves, due to the Thakur's cowardice. Before they can leave, Thakur tells them the real reason of why he wants Gabbar, and why he could not help them. Some time ago, the Thakur had caught Gabbar and had him imprisoned only for him to escape and plot an evil revenge. Gabbar made his way to the Thakur's home and killed most of his family. The only person to survive this massacre was Thakur's younger daughter-in-law, Radha (Jaya Bhaduri). Thakur tracked down Gabbar, but this time the tyrant held the upper hand thanks to his gang, and cut off both of Thakur's arms. Thakur had hidden this disability from Veeru and Jai, but now it was clear why he could not physically help them.
Living in Ramgarh, the cynical young Jai and lively Veeru find themselves growing fond of the villagers, especially two girls. Veeru is attracted to Basanti (
Hema MaliniHema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
), a feisty, talkative young woman who makes her living driving a horse-cart. Jai is drawn to Radha, Thakur's reclusive widowed daughter-in-law, who very subtly returns his affections.
The battle approaches its climax when Basanti and Veeru are captured and Jai follows. The three escape, but Jai is wounded by a gunshot, and with the bandits still following, they hide behind a rock at the foot of a bridge, when they run short on ammunition. Jai orders Veeru to go back to the village with Basanti, and then return with some ammunition. Veeru, even though unaware of Jai's wound, hesitates, insisting that Jai return to the village instead, upon which Jai suggests they resolve the matter by tossing a coin. The toss, as usual, is in Jai's favor, and Veeru heads back to the village with Basanti. Jai, slowly dying and with only a few bullets remaining, manages to fend off advances by the bandits, and kills most of Gabbar's men. After failing in most of their advances (and unaware that Jai is alone), in one last attempt, the bandits throw a stick of dynamite, which lands on the bridge near him. Realizing he has only one bullet remaining, Jai attempts to shoot the bomb off the bridge, but ends up hitting the bomb itself, causing it not only to explode and kill all remaining bandits, but also to injure Jai. Veeru returns to find Jai dying, and immediately wants to take him back, but Jai refuses. He jokingly laments on missing Veeru's marriage, and telling stories to Basanti's and Veeru's children.. Some of the villagers rush to the scene, including Radha, who once again has to endure the anguish of losing someone. Veeru then notices Jai's coin lying on the ground, and, upon examination, discovers that both sides of the coin are the same, and realizes that Jai had cheated on every coin toss, including the one that eventually resulted in his demise.
Veeru goes after Gabbar in a rage. He catches Gabbar, and almost beats him to death, when the Thakur appears and reminds Veeru of his promise to hand over Gabbar to him alive. Veeru rubbishes the promise and is about to kill Gabbar anyway, when the Thakur reminds him that the promise was made by Jai and not him. Veeru tells the Thakur that the only reason for him doing so was because it was Jai who made the promise, and leaves. Thakur then advances towards Gabbar, revealing spike-soled shoes, intended to torture Gabbar and beg for death. Thakur severely assaults Gabbbar, destroying his hands, and is about to kill him, when the police intervenes, reminding Thakur that he, too, was once a police officer and that Gabbar must be arrested and dealt with by the law. As Gabbar is taken away, Thakur is denied vengeance, but walks away with solace in that Ramgarh is free.
The film ends with Veeru, after Jai's funeral, leaving on a train. However, as he boards, he sees Basanti in one of the seats. As they embrace, the train steams off, with Thakur watching.
(In the alternate ending to the film, Gabbar actually dies as he is kicked into a spike that is protruding from the posts where Thakur's arms were cut off. Thakur then falls to his knees and is comforted by Veeru. Thakur then begins to cry which he did not do even when his family was killed.)
Cast
- Dharmendra
Dharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...
as Veeru, the more jovial and naughty of the two friends
- Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
as Jai (Jai Dev), the calmer and more thoughtful of the two
- Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur Baldev Singh, usually addressed as "Thakur Sahib"
- Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
as Basanti, a talkative girl who is the coachwoman for the only horse-carriage in Ramgarh
- Jaya Bhaduri as Radha, a quiet girl who is the Thakur's widowed daughter-in-law
- Amjad Khan
Amjad Khan was an acclaimed Indian actor and director. He worked in over 130 films in his film career spanning nearly twenty years. He enjoyed popularity for his villainous roles in Hindi films the most famous being the unforgettable Gabbar Singh in 1975 classic Sholay...
as Gabbar SinghGabbar Singh is a fictional character and the antagonist in the 1975 Indian movie Sholay written by Salim-Javed and also later featured in the spoof Ramgarh Ke Sholay....
, a dacoit, who leads a group in looting and plundering the villages in the region of Ramgarh. He has a sadistic personality and insists on killing whenever required to continue his status and to take revenge on his enemies.
- Satyen Kappu
Satyen Kappu , also credited as Satyendra Kapoor, was an Indian character actor in Bollywood films. His most remembered role is Ramlal in movie Sholay and as Amitabh Bachchan's father in Yash Chopra's Deewaar...
as Ramlaal
- A.K. Hangal as Imam
- Sachin
Sachin Pilgaonkar often known by his first name Sachin, is an Indian film and television actor, director and producer.Starting as a child actor, in Marathi film, Ha Majha Marg Ekla , he went on to act in around 65 films as a child artiste, before switching to adult roles, and giving hits like Geet...
as Ahmed
- Iftekhar as Narmadaji, Radha's father
- Mac Mohan
Mohan Makijany , popularly known as Mac Mohan, was a well-known Indian character actor in Hindi language films...
as Sambha
- Viju Khote
Viju Khote is an Indian actor who has worked as character actor in more than 300 films in Hindi cinema and Marathi cinema. He is especially famous as the dacoit Kalia in the film Sholay and the dialogue, Sardar maine aapka namak khaya hai and Robert in movie Andaz Apna Apna...
as Kaalia
- Jagdeep
Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffry, better known as Jagdeep, is an Indian film actor known for his comic roles. He played Soorma Bhopali in Sholay , Gabbar in Purana Mandir , Chief Zabardast in Tehkhana , Hotel Receptionist in Veerana , Salman Khan's father In Andaaz Apna Apna and later directed a movie...
as Soorma Bhopali
- Asrani as Jailor
- Keshto Mukherjee
Keshto Mukherjee was an Indian actor. He specialised in comic drunkard roles in the Hindi films. Though he was famous for his drunkard typecast role in Hindi films, he used to share a very good relation with the iconic Ritwik Ghatak and had very tiny but important roles in the maestro's films...
as Hariram
- Leela Mishra
Leela Mishra was an Indian film actor, who worked as a character actor in over 200 Hindi films for five decades, eventually playing stock characters like aunts, Chachi or Mausi...
as Mausi
- Paidi Jairaj
Paidi Jairaj, Jayraj or Jai Raj was a renowned film actor, director and producer. He was recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement in 1980.-Brief lifesketch:...
as Police Commissioner
- Helen
Helen Jairag Richardson is an Indian film actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent, working in Hindi films. She is often cited as the most popular dancer of the item number in her time. She was the inspiration for four films and a book.-Early life and background:Helen was born in Burma on 21...
as a gypsy dancer in a special appearance
- Jalal Agha
Jalal Agha was an Indian actor and director in Bollywood films. Son of the popular comedian Agha, Jalal studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.-Career:...
as a gypsy singer in a special appearance
Origin
Sholay began as a four line idea that Salim-Javed pitched to Ramesh Sippy. Sippy liked the concept and hired them to develop it. The original idea was simple. An army officer decides to hire two ex-soldiers to avenge the murder of his family. The officer was later changed to a policeman as Sippy felt it would be too difficult to get permission to film from the army. They completed the script in only one month, borrowing many character names and personalities from their friends and acquaintances.
The film drew heavily from the conventions of
WesternThe Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
films, especially
Sergio LeoneSergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
's
Spaghetti WesternSpaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s, such as
Once Upon a Time in the WestOnce Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Jason Robards as a bandit, and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader with a...
, and
John SturgesJohn Eliot Sturges was an American film director. His movies include Bad Day at Black Rock , Gunfight at the O.K. Corral , The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape and Ice Station Zebra .-Career:He started his career in Hollywood as an editor in 1932...
' film
The Magnificent SevenThe Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
, itself being a
remakeA remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of
Akira Kurosawawas a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's 1954 film,
Seven Samurai.
Sholay was also influenced by the westerns of
Sam PeckinpahDavid Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
, such as
The Wild BunchThe Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
(1969) and
Pat Garrett and Billy the KidPat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. Co-star Bob Dylan composed multiple songs for the movie's score and the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was released the same year.The film was noted for...
(1973); and also by
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
(1969). Some plot elements were also borrowed from the Indian films
Mera Gaon Mera DeshMera Gaon Mera Desh is a 1971 Indian film made by Raj Khosla, starring Dharmendra in the lead role and also Vinod Khanna as the villain.-Performances:...
and
Khote SikkayKhote Sikkay is an Indian film inspired by the American Cowboy genre complete with horses and poncho's. Feroz Khan and Danny Denzongpa played 2 out of a gang of men hired by a villager to save his village from the dacoits. Narendra Bedi made this movie for a 1973 release...
.
The character of Gabbar Singh was modeled on a real-life dacoit of the same name who menaced the villages around
Gwalior in the 1950s. He terrorized the local police. Any policeman captured by the real Gabbar Singh had his ears and nose cut off, and was then released as an object lesson to other policemen.
Casting
Sippy at first wanted
Shatrughan SinhaShatrughan Sinha is an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shipping...
to play the part of Jai, but Amitabh Bachchan lobbied hard to get the part for himself. The producers wanted
Danny DenzongpaTshering Phintso Denzongpa , widely known by his acting name "Danny" Denzongpa, is an Indian actor of Sikkimese ancestry working in Bollywood films....
to play the bandit chief, but he was committed to
Feroz KhanFeroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director in the Hindi film industry...
's
DharmatmaDharmatama is a 1975 Hindi movie and the first ever Bollywood film to be shot in Afghanistan. It was produced and directed by Feroz Khan. The movie is the first attempt in India to localise The Godfather. This film's protagonist Premnath was based on the character of Matka king Ratan Khatri...
. Amjad Khan was a second choice. Khan prepared to play the bandit chief Gabbar Singh by reading a book titled
Abar Abhishapta Chambal, which told of the exploits of
ChambalChambal Division is an administrative geographical unit of Madhya Pradesh state of India. Morena is the administrative headquarters of the division. Currently , the division consists of the three districts of Morena, Bhind and Sheopur....
dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri.
During the film's production, four of the leads became romantically involved. Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri four months before filming started. This caused problems when shooting had to be postponed because Jaya became pregnant with her daughter
Shweta Bachchan-Personal life:Shweta married industrialist Nikhil Nanda, the son of Ritu Nanda and Rajan Nanda on February 16, 1997 at Prateeksha, her parents' home. She now resides in Delhi with her husband...
. Dharmendra had begun wooing Hema Malini during their earlier film
Seeta Aur GeetaSeeta aur Geeta is a 1972 Hindi film directed by Ramesh Sippy. The story is by Salim-Javed and the music by R.D. Burman.The story is about identical twins who are separated at birth and grow up with different temperaments. The twins then swap places...
and used the location shoot of
Sholay to further pursue her. During their romantic scenes, Dharmendra would pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring many retakes. The couple eventually married in 1980, five years after the film's release.
Filming
The film was a lavish production for its time. It took two and a half years to make, and went Rs. 300,000 over budget. One reason for its high cost was that Ramesh Sippy re-filmed scenes many times to get his desired effect. The "Yeh dosti" sequence took 21 days to shoot while two short scenes where Radha is lighting lamps took 20 days due to lighting problems. Another shoot for the scene in which Gabbar kills the son of the Imam lasted 19 days. The train robbery sequence, shot on the Mumbai-Pune railway route near Panvel, took more than 7 weeks to shoot.
Much of the film is set in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, a village near
BangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
,
KarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagara for convenient access to the sets. One part of Ramanagara town was renamed "Sippynagar" after the director of the film. Even to this day, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where the film was shot) is offered to tourists traveling through Ramanagara (on the road between Bangalore and Mysore), and plans are being made to build a resort in the area.
Sholay was the first Indian film to have a
stereophonicThe term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
soundtrack, and to be presented in the
70 mm70mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge, with higher resolution than standard 35mm motion picture film format. As used in camera, the film is wide. For projection, the original 65mm film is printed on film. The additional 5mm are for magnetic strips holding four of the six tracks of sound...
widescreenWidescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
format. However, since actual 70mm cameras were deemed too expensive at the time, the film instead was shot on traditional 35mm film and the 4:3 picture was subsequently blown up, cropped and matted to a 2.20:1 frame. Director Ramesh Sippy said,
Alternate versions
An alternate director's cut of
Sholay, where Gabbar Singh dies at the end, was not shown in theaters but was later released on video. Also there are some additional scenes with some different dialogues. Gabbar's death scene, and the scene in which the imam's son is killed were cut from the film by the
Censor BoardThe Central Board of Film Certification is a Government of India regulatory body and censorship board of India controlled by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It reviews, rates and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material...
, as was the scene in which Thakur's family is killed. The reason is that the censors claimed there are rules about people taking the law into their own hands and not being punished for it; this was not permitted as it may corrupt naive viewers. For this reason the ending of the film had to be re-shot for a 'U' Rating."
The censored theatrical version was 188 minutes long, and was the only one seen by audiences for fifteen years after 1975. The original, unedited cut of the film finally saw the light of day in 1990 on a British
VHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release. Since then,
Eros LabsEros International Media Ltd., also known as Eros Entertainment, is an Indian media and entertainment giant, involved in the production, acquisition and distribution of filmed entertainment across in movie theaters, on video and television, and in new media.Established in 1977, the company operates...
has released two versions on
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The so-called "director's cut" of the film, from Eros/B4U, preserves the full frame as shot, and is 204 minutes in length. The widescreen version, from DEI/Eros is 198 minutes long. The DVD packaging does not always state clearly which version is inside.
Critical response
The critic K.L. Amladi of
India TodayIndia Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
called the film a "dead ember" and added, "Thematically, it's a gravely flawed attempt."
FilmfareFilmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
said that the film was an unsuccessful mincing of Western style with Indian
milieuThe social environment of an individual, also called social context or milieu, is the culture that s/he was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom the person interacts....
, making it a "imitation western—neither here nor there." Trade journals and columnists initially called the expensive film a flop.
Over time the critical reception to
Sholay has improved to where it is now regarded among the greatest Hindi language films, and a classic. On the film's 35th anniversary, the
Hindustan TimesHindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
said that it was a "trailblazer in terms of camera work as well as music," and that "practically every scene, dialogue or even a small character was a highlight." In 2006, The
Film Society of Lincoln CenterThe Film Society of Lincoln Center based in New York City, United States, is one of the world's most prominent film presentation organizations. Founded in 1969 by three Lincoln Center executives - William F. May, Martin E. Segal and Schuyler G...
described it as "an extraordinary and utterly seamless blend of adventure, comedy, music and dance", labeling it an 'indisputable classic'. In the obituary of the producer, The New York Times said that
Sholay "revolutionized Hindi filmmaking and brought true professionalism to Indian script writing".
Box office
Sholay was released on 15 August 1975 in
MumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Due to lackluster reviews and a lack of effective visual marketing tools, the first two weeks it didn't do well, but it picked up from the third week onwards on word of mouth, and became a sensation.
During the earlier period when the film was not doing well commercially, the director and writer considered re-shooting some scenes so that Amitabh Bachchan's character would not die. When business finally picked up, they abandoned this idea.
Sholay went on to earn a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees (50 consecutive weeks) across India. It was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver jubilee (25 consecutive weeks) at over a hundred theaters across India. At Mumbai's Minerva theater, it was shown continuously for over five years.
Sholay was the longest running film in Indian cinema until
Dilwale Dulhania Le JayengeDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , also known as DDLJ, is a Hindi language film released on 20 October 1995. A romantic comedy, the film marked the directorial debut of Aditya Chopra, and stars Shahrukh Khan and Kajol...
broke its record in 2001.
Sholay earned about Rs. 15
croreA crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
rupees in its first run, equivalent to over
US$The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3 million, which was many times its Rs. 2 crore budget. That amount of earnings was a record that remained unbroken for the next nineteen years, which is a record for the longest time having held the record. It doubled its original gross over reruns during the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
Official box office records are not kept in India, but it is often cited that after adjusting the figures for
inflationIn economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
,
Sholay is the highest grossing film in the history of Indian Cinema. Other sources place the adjusted figure lower, but still put it near the top of the
highest grossing Bollywood films.
Awards
When it was first released,
Sholay was nominated for several
Filmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
but only won a single one: film editor M. S. Shinde won for
Best EditingThe Filmfare Best Editing Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.-List:-External links:* *...
. He had edited 300,000 feet of film into 20,000 feet of theatrical release. After the censors mandated cuts, the film was 18,000 feet and ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes. Although the film did not receive any of the major awards when it was released, at the 50th
Filmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
it received a special award as the
Best Film of 50 YearsThe Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years was a rare award only given once to celebrate the 50th Filmfare Anniversary. If the award is repeated, the award will be given to a film at Filmfare's 100th anniversary....
.
This film was nominated in following categories of the
Filmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
in 1975:
- Best Film
- Best Director – Ramesh Sippy
- Best Actor – Sanjeev Kumar
- Best Actor in Supporting Role – Amjad Khan
- Best Actor in Comic Role – Asrani
- Best story – Salim-Javed
- Best Music – Rahul Dev Burman
- Best Lyrics – Anand Bakshi for song "Mehbooba Mehbooba"
- Best Male Playback Singer – Rahul Dev Burman for song "Mehbooba Mehbooba"
It also won the following at the
Bengal Film Journalists' Association AwardsThe Bengal Film Journalists' Association is the oldest Association of Film critics in India, founded in 1937, by the inspiration and determination of the handful of pioneers amongst the then thin section of scribes that were drawn to film journalism with a lofty mission to serve the developing...
(Hindi section):
- Best Actor in Supporting Role – Amjad Khan
- Best Cinematographer (Colour) – Dwarka Divecha
- Best Art Director – Ram Yedekar
Sholay has received more honors in the years that followed. It was declared "Film of the Millennium" by BBC India and in internet polls in 1999, and in 2002 topped the
British Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. In 2006,
Sholay was voted best film in
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Soundtrack
R. D. Burman composed the music for the film, and the lyrics were given by
Anand BakshiAnand Bakshi was a popular Indian poet and lyricist.-Early days:Anand Bakshi was born in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, on 21 July 1930. His ancestors were from Kurree, near Rawalpindi, and had origins in Kashmir. His mother, Sumitra, died 1940, when he was 10...
. It is revered as one of the best Hindi soundtracks. Burman himself sang "Mehbooba Mehbooba", picturised on Helen and Jalal Agha, and for which he received his sole Filmfare Award nomination for playback singing. The songs picturized in the film were the following:
- Song "Mehbooba Mehooba" was listed at #24 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1975
The following is an annual list of the year-end chart toppers of the Radio Ceylon radio show Binaca Geetmala for 1975. Binaca Geetmala was a very popular radio show that counted down the popular film songs from Indian cinema on a weekly basis, listened to by millions of Hindi music lovers, just...
, and at #5 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1976The following is an annual list of the year-end chart toppers of the Radio Ceylon radio show Binaca Geetmala for 1976. Binaca Geetmala was a very popular radio show that counted down the popular film songs from Indian cinema on a weekly basis, listened to by millions of Hindi music lovers, just...
- Song "Koi haseena jab roothh jaati hai" was listed at #30 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1975
The following is an annual list of the year-end chart toppers of the Radio Ceylon radio show Binaca Geetmala for 1975. Binaca Geetmala was a very popular radio show that counted down the popular film songs from Indian cinema on a weekly basis, listened to by millions of Hindi music lovers, just...
, and at #20 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1976The following is an annual list of the year-end chart toppers of the Radio Ceylon radio show Binaca Geetmala for 1976. Binaca Geetmala was a very popular radio show that counted down the popular film songs from Indian cinema on a weekly basis, listened to by millions of Hindi music lovers, just...
- Song "Yeh dosti hum naheen todenge" was listed at #9 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1976
The following is an annual list of the year-end chart toppers of the Radio Ceylon radio show Binaca Geetmala for 1976. Binaca Geetmala was a very popular radio show that counted down the popular film songs from Indian cinema on a weekly basis, listened to by millions of Hindi music lovers, just...
Despite the soundtrack's success, at the time, the songs from
Sholay attracted less attention than the dialogues—a rarity for Bollywood. This prompted the producers to release audio-cassettes with only dialogues.
Among the songs, two versions of "Yeh Dosti" were released, an extended version which was cited as the 'happy version' and a shorter one called the 'sad version'. "Yeh Dosti" has been called the perfect friendship song. This song was remixed in the 2010 Malayalam film
Four FriendsFour Friends is a 2010 Malayalam film directed by Saji Surendran. It stars Jayasurya, Meera Jasmine, Kunchako Boban and Jayaram, and features Kamal Hassan in a cameo role after a hiatus of 21 years. The film was released on 28 October 2010. The film is inspired by the 2007 American film The Bucket...
.
The song "Mehbooba Mehbooba", performed and composed by Burman, is often featured on Bollywood hit song compilations. The song has been highly anthologized, remixed, and recreated. It was remixed and sung by
Himesh ReshammiyaHimesh Reshammiya is an Indian music director, composer, singer and actor.-Music and film career:Himesh Reshammiya was born in Bhavnagar, Gujarat to Vipin Reshammiya and Madhu Reshammiya. He had his first success as a music director of the 2003 film, Tere Naam...
for his debut film
Aap Kaa SurroorAap Kaa Suroor – The Moviee is a 2007 Bollywood film directed by Prashant Chadha released on 29 June 2007. Popular singer Himesh Reshammiya debuted as an actor in this film. It also starred Hansika Motwani and Mallika Sherawat. Himesh claims the story is based on his own life. The film is named...
.
Asha BhosleAsha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
also sings in this version. Another recent version is one created by the
Kronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
for their Grammy-nominated album
You've Stolen My Heart. However, "Mehbooba Mehbooba" itself is said to be based on
Demis RoussosArtemios Ventouris Roussos is a Greek singer and performer, best known for being the main musical partner of movie soundtrack composer Vangelis and a string of international hit records as a solo performer in the 1960s and 1970s...
's song, called "Say You Love Me".
Legacy
Sholay has inspired many imitations, in cinema and television, and has spawned a whole sub-genre of films, the "Curry Western", which is a play on the term
Spaghetti WesternSpaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
.
Sholay is also considered the most important of the early
Masala filmsMasala is a term given to films of Indian cinema that mix various genres in one film. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. These films tend to be musicals that include songs filmed in picturesque locations...
, which popularized this genre in India. The film was also a watermark for scriptwriters, who until
Sholay were not paid very well. Film scriptwriting has become a more respected and lucrative profession since then.
The stars of the film appeared in other films; they did not seem to be limited by their roles in
Sholay.
Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
went on to become one of the biggest stars in the Indian film industry. However, some of the supporting actors never escaped the shadow of their hit film. After 35 years, even the minor characters are used in ads, promos, films and sit coms.
Amjad KhanAmjad Khan was an acclaimed Indian actor and director. He worked in over 130 films in his film career spanning nearly twenty years. He enjoyed popularity for his villainous roles in Hindi films the most famous being the unforgettable Gabbar Singh in 1975 classic Sholay...
, who played the bandit Gabbar Singh played many more villainous roles afterwards. He played Gabbar Singh again in the 1991
spoofA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
Ramgarh Ke SholayRamgarh Ke Sholay is a 1991 spoof film that parodies the 1975 classic Bollywood blockbuster Sholay. It was directed by Ajit Diwani.Amjad Khan who played the iconic villain Gabbar Singh in the original film returns to the role of Gabbar in this film...
. He also reprised the role in a commercial for biscuits.
Comedian
JagdeepSyed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffry, better known as Jagdeep, is an Indian film actor known for his comic roles. He played Soorma Bhopali in Sholay , Gabbar in Purana Mandir , Chief Zabardast in Tehkhana , Hotel Receptionist in Veerana , Salman Khan's father In Andaaz Apna Apna and later directed a movie...
, who played Soorma Bhopali in the film, also attempted to capitalize on his
Sholay success; he directed and played the lead role in the 1988 film
Soorma BhopaliSoorma Bhopali,, is a Hindi movie directed by Jagdeep, who previously played Soorma Bhopali in the movie Sholay. Soorma Bhopali was not a box office success.-Cast:* Jagdeep, as Soorma Bhopali/Dilwar Khan Dilwala...
; Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan also played cameos.
The last attempt to trade on
Sholays fame was
Ram Gopal VarmaRam Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer...
's film
Aag (2007), which was pulled from theaters after two weeks.
Aag was originally also called
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay and was apparently meant to be a tribute to and "in the spirit of Sholay." The name was changed to
Aag after legal action was taken by the makers of the original
Sholay. Amitabh Bachchan played the villain, Babban Singh.
Due to television, VCRs, and
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s,
Sholay is widely available and still extremely popular. In 1996,
Sholay was first shown on the Indian government-run
DoordarshanDoordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
television channel; streets were virtually empty during the show.
Sholay has been the subject of at least two books. Wimal Dissanayake and Malti Sahai's
Sholay, A Cultural Reading (1992), attempts a comprehensive scholarly study that sets the film within the broader history of popular cinema in India.
Anupama ChopraAnupama Chopra is a noted author, journalist and film critic. She has written several books on Indian cinema and has been a movie reviewer with NDTV and India Today.-Career:...
's
Sholay, The Making of a Classic (2000) is an inside look at the film's production, based on interviews with the director, stars, and crew members.
In 2004,
Sholay was digitally remastered and shown again to packed theaters in India, including the Minerva, where it had run so successfully 29 years earlier. As of 2011,
Subhash GhaiSubhash Ghai is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. His most notable films include Kalicharan ,Karz , Hero , Meri Jung , Karma ,Ram Lakhan ,Saudagar , Khalnayak , Pardes and Taal...
is reportedly in negotiations to convert the film to
3DA 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
format.
External links
- Sholay at Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
- Sholay 30th Annivesary site at BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...