Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Sholay’ stands as one of the classics recorded in the history of Indian cinema. Written by the dynamic duo of Salim-Javed, the film is loved for its dialogues, performances, and the bts tales. Speaking of bts moments, did you know Dharmendra fired a real gun at Amitabh Bachchan during the shoot of ‘Sholay’?
Dharmendra almost shot Amitabh Bachchan during ‘Sholay’
The statement can sound too shocking to be true, but it is what happened. Amitabh Bachchan himself narrated this tale in 2020, during an episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati.’ The ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ actor was in conversation with a contestant, CRPF DIG Preet Mohan Singh, who shared that she was a big fan of ‘Sholay.’ She mentioned her view on the climax and said that if Veeru (played by Dharmendra) had been carrying more ammunition, he could have saved Jai (played by Amitabh Bachchan). Addressing this, Big B shared a trivia from the 1975 film, and said Dharmendra almost shot a real bullet at him during the climax scene. “When we were shooting for that scene, then Dharam ji was down below, and I was on top of the hill. Dharam ji opens a chest and picks up the ammunition. He did it once and was unable to pick up the bullets; did it again and failed again. Dharam ji got very irritated. I don’t know what he did, he put the cartridge in the gun, and they were real bullets,” shared Amitabh Bachchan.Big B added, “He was so irritated about not getting the right shot that he fired the gun. I heard a ‘whooosh’ sound as the bullet went past my ear while I was standing on the hill. He had fired a real bullet. Main bach gaya (I was unhurt). So yes, there were many such incidents during the film, and Sholay was indeed a special film.”
About ‘Sholay’
Along with Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, the movie starred Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, and Amjad Khan in the lead. Directed by Ramesh Sippy, ‘Sholay’ completed 50 years in 2025.
