Sholay@50: Salman Khan, Sunny Deol and others revisit legacy

Mumbai: From childhood memories and family pride to the spark that shaped their love for cinema, ‘Sholay’ has left an enduring mark on stars across generations.

As the iconic film marked its silver jubilee yesterday, Salman Khan recalled listening to its dialogues on loop, Sunny Deol treasures his father Dharmendra’s turn as Veeru, Bobby Deol cherishes his days on set and Farhan Akhtar called it a rare film etched into India’s collective consciousness. And for Abhishek Bachchan, whose parents starred in the classic, it remains a seminal moment in Indian cinema.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy and penned by the iconic writer pair of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the 1975 action film redefined mainstream Hindi cinema with its unforgettable characters, gripping storytelling and dialogues that became part of everyday conversation. It featured a stellar cast, which included Amitabh Bachchan as Jai, Dharmendra as Veeru, Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur, Hema Malini as Basanti, Jaya Bachchan as Radha and Amjad Khan as Gabbar.

Salman, son of Salim Khan, fondly recalled his first memories of ‘Sholay’. “We’ve seen ‘Sholay’ four to five times. There was a record (CD) of the dialogues of ‘Sholay’, which was in two parts. I remember we would keep listening to that often. Wherever we went, we would often hear songs or dialogues of ‘Sholay’ being played around many people in their homes,” Salman told PTI.

For Sunny, ‘Sholay’ is a source of immense pride as it is a film that became one of India’s most-watched and also his father Dharmendra’s finest work. “When I saw ‘Sholay’, I was going abroad for studies. I’d seen the trial of the film. My father is so good; he is the best actor, according to me, because of the kind of work he has done. When it was released, the business was dull, but later it picked up and we still talk about ‘Sholay’. Every character in that film is very prominent. It is the most-watched film in India,” the actor-director told PTI.

Sunny’s younger brother-actor Bobby shared his childhood experience of being on the sets in Bengaluru, where the film was shot. “I was so lucky to be on the sets of ‘Sholay’. I still remember those days, when they were shooting in Bangalore, we used to drive down to this village where it was shot. I was a big fan of Jaya ji and I used to keep her photo (with me). The whole cast was there, but I was excited to see her,” Bobby told PTI.

Bobby added, “I’ve seen the four-hour (long) version of it, unedited. I’ve seen so much more than others have seen, and I still remember all those moments. That film is like a landmark for people after it was made.”

Farhan, son of veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, said ‘Sholay’ shaped his love for mainstream cinema, praising it as a rare film where every character, no matter how small, remains unforgettable. “All of us who have seen ‘Sholay’ have been influenced by it on a subconscious level. Our love for mainstream movies came from ‘Sholay’. Also, it’s very rare for films to come along where you remember every single character, down to a guy who says one line; you remember the name of that person. It’s very rare that something like that happens,” Farhan told PTI.

He shared, “So, it’s now become a part of our collective consciousness. You can meet any Indian and start discussing ‘Sholay’. It’s like something that connects us in a weird way,” the actor-filmmaker said, adding that ‘Sholay’ doesn't look ‘dated’ even today and that technically it was a ‘superior’ film.

Amitabh Bachchan’s actor-son Abhishek described ‘Sholay’ as a ‘seminal moment’ in Indian cinema. He said that both his father and mother, Jaya Bachchan, who starred in the film, rarely talk about its past glory at home.

“With my father, I know that he’s convinced he's not done yet, so he doesn’t want to sit back on his rocking chair and talk about our times. His time is right now. And that’s the attitude every actor should have,” Abhishek told PTI.

‘Sholay’ has left an indelible mark on filmmakers like Sooraj Barjatya, Karan Johar, Prakash Jha and many other actors.

Barjatya recounted the efforts taken to make ‘Sholay’ and how the passion of the makers has inspired him. “I remember when the film was released, in the first four days, it was considered a failure, but the conviction of the makers in the film was tremendous,” Barjatya told PTI.

“What I take back from ‘Sholay’ is pure passion and conviction, like they made action into poetry and how they took the chance to portray the dacoit the way they did and that one hero will die in the end,” he added.

Johar agreed with Barjatya and said his cinematic roots were shaped by watching classics like ‘Sholay’.

“I was fortunate to watch ‘Sholay’ in its first run, though in its sixth year. It was in 1979. I was seven years old and I watched it in the Minerva cinema, with a full house on a Sunday morning. I believe we are empowered because of these masters who gave us that legacy,” Johar told PTI.

Jha said he watched ‘Sholay’ and was enchanted by the world-building of Salim-Javed. “And who can ever forget Gabbar? All of them were Gabbar Singh’s dialogues. It became such a big craze. Even today, we keep using it. Like in office days, someone says, ‘Tera kya hoga Kaalia?’” he said.