Farhan Akhtar reveals ‘Sholay’ climax was changed due to the Emergency: ‘Thakur was supposed to kill Gabbar Singh and…’

When dialogues, characters and scenes become part of popular folklore, woven into the tapestry of national memory that rolls on generation after generation, is when celluloid magic happens.

“Sholay” is that film – and it doesn’t matter whether you have seen the film or not.

It has been 50 years since the film released, a cult classic so impactful it continues to thrive, almost a living, breathing entity evolving through time and referenced on just about any occasion. And so, a late entrant who walks into a silent conference room says “Itna sannata kyon hai bhai” and everyone breaks into smiles. The connect is instant. The film is familiar to all.

Javed Akhtar’s son Farhan Akhtar revealed the climax of the film was changed because of the 1975 Emergency.

“Sanjeev Kumar AKA Thakur was originally meant to kill Gabbar Singh with his bare feet in a brutal act of revenge after losing his family and arms to the dacoit,” Akhtar revealed.

“That was the emotional core of the film – Thakur plotting his revenge after his hands were cut off. We get lost in the Jai-Veeru friendship, but the real spine was the honest cop going after the dacoit who ruined his life,” Farhan added.

“They had to change it due to the Emergency, and the original ending is now available. That is actually when he cries – after crushing Gabbar with his own feet,” said Farhan.

The filmmaker also said, “They were wondering about everyone showing up – the villagers, the police, the protagonists – and joked that the only person missing now is a postman. The ending didn’t make sense to them, but they had no choice.”

Any mention of “Sholay” instantly evokes the image of the unforgettable pair of Jai-Veeru and the many main characters that populate its runtime of over three hours, including the revenge-seeking Thakur, the menacing Gabbar, Basanti and Radha.

But the enduring charm of Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 cult classic also lies in its array of supporting characters, some in the background forever and some who pop up in the frame to utter just one sentence. Despite their limited screen time, these characters have earned a permanent spot for themselves in the collective memory of cinephiles.