Nearly 50 years after its initial release, the Indian film classic Sholay is scheduled to make a comeback to the big screen in its entirety, uncut. On June 27, at the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy, the 1975 film will have its world premiere, commemorating its 50th anniversary.
The original ending and two previously cut moments that were absent from the version that was widely distributed in theaters will be shown in the restored version in Piazza Maggiore, the festival’s outdoor screening location.
Sholay, which was directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by the renowned screenplay team Salim-Javed, is regarded as one of the most significant and popular movies in Indian cinema.
R.D. Burman’s legendary score supported the film’s blend of action, humor, tragedy, and thriller elements.
In Sholay, Thakur Baldev Singh, a former police officer, enlists the help of Veeru and Jai, two small-time criminals, in order to apprehend Gabbar Singh, a known bandit. Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan as the ominous Gabbar were among the film’s star-studded cast members.
The team claims that because the original film negative was damaged, they had to use interpositives and a rare color reversal intermediate that they discovered in London. Among these were the film’s original ending and unreleased scenes, which had not been seen by the general public for almost 50 years.
Shehzad Sippy, producer of Sippy Films, stated, “After three years, we were able to locate the original ending and a few deleted scenes that the world will see for the first time at the grand premiere.” “Reviving the film has been a labor of love, and this is a tribute to my grandfather G.P. Sippy’s vision and legacy.”
When asked about the film’s lasting impact, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan said, “Some things in life stay permanently etched in your mind.” One of these movies is Sholay.
Playing one of the main characters, Dharmendra referred to the movie as “the eighth wonder of the world,” saying he was thrilled to learn about its restoration and thought it would enthrall spectators just as much as it had fifty years ago.
