The iconic ‘Sholay’ recently completed 50 years on August 15. As the film remains memorable for many reasons and all the characters have become cult, did you know that Dharmendra wanted to play the role of Gabbar. He found the character fascinating. In a recent interview, director Ramesh Sippy, shared several anecdotes from the making of this film which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan. ‘Sholay’ went on to become the biggest film of Indian cinema and every actor seemed to perfectly fit the part. Sippy revealed in an interview with Screen that Hema Malini was apprehensive about playing Basanti after she did ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’. The director revealed, “I said, ‘Trust me, this character will also stand out. Yes, the film isn’t centered around you. But you’ll be a very important character, you don’t worry about that.’ Her highlight comes in the end when she dances on those hot, uneven rocks and shattered glass. That was the peak of her character. She was not only boisterous, but also expressive, strong, and passionate about her love. ‘Jab tak hai jaan, main naachungi.’ She did her role brilliantly.”
The director added that Dharmendra found the arc in Gabbar and Thakur’s characters so fascinating that he wanted to play one of them. “There’s no question that when a fine actor takes over any role, he’d have done it wonderfully. It can’t be denied. But if you look back at it now, can you see anyone else as Gabbar? Amjad Khan fitted in such a way that he’s so good! Amitabh was so good as Jai! Even Sanjeev Kumar felt he should play Gabbar. Dharam ji felt the entire story is Thakur’s and the arch villain of Gabbar is very colourful, so should he play either? In the end, I said, “Dharam ji, you can play any role, but phir Hema Malini nahi milegi.” (laughs). But I can’t see anyone else in that water tank scene. Finally, each actor accepted their role and did it with full conviction. And the result is for everyone to see.”
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Do you agree with Dharmendra’s desire to play Gabbar Singh?
Earlier, in an interview, Hema Malini had revealed that her and Dharmendra’s off screen romance also helped created that chemistry between Basanti and Veeru.
