After 42 years, Ramgarh of Sholay fame to come alive for visitors

The Sholay magic is set to be recreated in the rocky terrains of Ramanagaram with plans afoot to bring alive the trailblazing characters, 42 years after they were immortalised in the iconic Bollywood film.

A Rs 7.5 crore proposal has been mooted to establish "Sholay-the-3D Virtual Reality Village' for cine lovers on a locale at Ramadevara Betta that was popularly known as Ramgarh where the blockbuster film was shot by Ramesh Sippy in a dacoit-gangland setting. The place, about 50 km south-west of Bengaluru, is a paradise for trekking, rock climbing and photo shooting.

The main purpose of establishing the virtual village is to enthral visitors using goggles, virtual reality headsets, laser disc-based systems, VR-3D, audio and visual equipment and multiple screens, an official said here.

Seven hills are located within a 10 km radius of Ramanagaram, including Ramadevar betta, where Gabbar Singh, played by the late Amjad Khan in the antagonist role in the 1975 film, was picturised.

Gabbar Singh's dacoit role gave Khan cult status, along with the memorable role of his henchmen Samba and Kaalia.

The Ramanagaram district administration has submitted the plan to the state government to either implement it as a Public-Private venture or as a state project.

The project, however, will not be established in the vulture reserve area, but outside it.

The virtual village will bring the film's characters to life through three-dimensional (3D) printing and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, a top district official said.

The virtual actors will come to life and deliver world famous punchlines in the film, and the visitors can deliver the following dialogues, the official said.

"When Gabbar Singh says Kitne aadmi they..... the visitors can immediately deliver the dialogue that follows "do sarkar" .. "woh do they aur tum teen," the official said, reminiscing a scene when Gabbar Singh attacks the village for the first time in the film.

The plan is for either the district administration entering into a partnership with Sippy Productions and other private agencies under a PPP model or for the government taking up the project on its own, the official said.