Sholay: 50th Birthday on August 15, 2025. Sholay was released on August 15, 1975, and since then has never receded from the memory of Indian audiences. It has never left us. The movie breathes into our lives through its dialogues. These have become our everyday colloquial. The dialogues are alive in our heads through the characters. Anyone utters Jay and Veeru or Basanti and we know which screen characters these names refer. Sholay has, in fact, transcended cinema — it is a story with pan-India appeal.
To older generation, Sholay is a story inseparable from their youth. Next generations treats it as family fable. They discovered it on TV and internet.
Salim-Javed’s dialogues captivated the audiences. In fact, 1970s were an audio era. Radio Ceylon or Vividh Bharati were on air throughout the day. Sholay’s dialogue records were blaring in homes, shops and markets. Most were able to recollect these dialogues. In theatres too, audiences pre-empted the dialogues of the characters. The characters made the dialogues unforgettable. All these characters were archetypical. Keshto Mukherjee’s barber and Asrani’s Angrezon ke Jamane ka Jailer are still remembered. Jagdeep’s Surma Bhopali with typical Bhopali lingo is still remembered. Gabbar has left an indelible mark. Mac Mohan’s three words ‘poorey pachas hazaar’ still echo in our ears. Viju Khote’s received Gabbar’s one liner, ‘Tera kya hoga, kaalia’ has been identified by audiences.
To begin with, Sholay on release did not do well. In its second week, there were half-empty theatres. It was later that the film picked up. Most reviews were dismissive. Over the decades, the film has been reappraised. It has been declared as greatest Indian film ever made. It has become a myth. It belongs to the public now, like any other work of art. It is being shown at International Film Festivals on completing its 50th Birthday.
In the original story idea from the writer pair Salim-Javed, the duo to counter the dacoit were drawn from army — two recruits who were dismissed on account of indiscipline. However, when army comes into picture, there are limitations of narrative and so they changed the characters to a cop and two hoodlums. Basanti was not conceived initially. They had a dacoit in mind. Later they added a multitude of characters making it a muti-starrer. Sholay has an amalgamation of emotions — vendetta, love, friendship, simplicity of the village, smartness of two urban hoodlums. It has become a timeless classic despite the march of times.
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