Dharmendra who continues to be a he-man off screen as he’s currently fighting a health battle, will always be loved and remembered for his iconic roles. The actor brought life to most of the roles he played on screen irrespective of the genre – be it Pyaare Mohan from Chupke Chupke Or Veeru from ‘Sholay’. But did you know that initially he did not want to play Veeru? When he initially heard the script, he wanted to play either Thakur or Gabbar. Director Ramesh Sippy revealed during a chat with The Lallantop, that Dharmendra told him, “This is the story of Thakur and he is fighting against Gabbar. What will we do?” o this, Sippy quipped, “Fine. Either do Thakur or Gabbar’s role but then you won’t get Hema Malini.” And that’s when Dharmendra agreed to play Veeru.Meanwhile, he was the highest paid actor on the film. Several reports suggest that Dharmendra the highest-paid actor on the sets, receiving ₹1.5 lakh. Sanjeev Kumar, who embodied the resilient Thakur Baldev Singh, was paid ₹1.25 lakh. Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchhan was paid ₹ 1lakh for his role. The menacing yet unforgettable Gabbar Singh, played by Amjad Khan, earned him ₹50,000. Among the leading ladies, Hema Malini took home ₹75,000, whereas Jaya Bachchan received the least—just ₹35,000. Interestingly, it was Dharmendra who had recommended Bachchan for the role. The legendary actor was asked about it on Rajat Sharma’s ‘Aap Ki Adaalat’ and he said, “Main yeh kisi ko nahi bolta. Lekin ab Amitabh khud bolne lage hai. Woh role Shatru (Shatrughan Sinha) ko jaa raha tha. Shatru ko pataa chala toh usne kaha, paaji kyun mera role de diya.”
