Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Happy Birthday Ramesh Sippy: The Man Who Gave Indian Cinema One Of The Biggest Hits, Sholay!
As Ramesh Sippy celebrates his 72nd birthday today, we take a walk down the memory lane and revisit this one of Bollywood's greatest classics which continue to woo the audience even today.
One of Indian cinema's most popular filmmakers, Ramesh Sippy turns 72 today. Son of noted producer G.P Sippy, he stepping into Bollywood by making his acting debut in 1953 film Shahenshah. After assisting his father on many films, Ramesh made his directorial debut with Andaz starring Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Hema Malini, which was a box office success.
His next film, Seeta Aur Geeta which featured Hema Malini in a double role too struck gold. However, it was his 1975 blockbuster film, Sholay's blockbuster succcess which catapulted him to one of the most successful directors in Indian cinema.
As Sippy celebrates his 72nd birthday today, we take a walk down the memory lane and revisit this one of Bollywood's greatest classics which continue to woo the audience even today with its memorable characters and iconic dialogues.
Amjad Khan Was Not The First Choice To Play Gabbar Singh
Sippy recalled in an interview, "The character of Gabbar was written in a way that it would invariably turn out to be the most colourful.
Danny Denzongpa was signed for the role, but his dates clashed with those he had allotted for Feroz Khan's Dharmatma that was being shot in Afghanistan. We couldn't do anything because all other stars had allotted their dates and so Danny had to opt out.
It was then that Salim and Javed suggested Amjad Khan's name. The rest, as you know, is history. A lot of Amjad went into Gabbar as also a lot of Gabbar into Amjad! Today, we can't imagine anyone else but him in the role."
Ramesh Sippy Reveals Why The Film Was Titled Sholay
"Sholay means ‘ember' and signifies the simmering fire of revenge and anger in the Thakur's heart. The title also finds symbolism in Jai's funeral pyre at the end."
The Sound Of Sholay
The film's sound re-recordist Mangesh Desai actually bought a tonga into the Rajkamal Studios to create a range of sounds for Basanti's vehicle.
All Hard Work
When it comes to friendship, there is no better song than 'Yeh Dosti' from Sholay to define it! But do you folks know that Ramesh Sippy and his team took 21 days to film this iconic track.
When Ramesh Sippy Almost Got Arrested In London Before The Film's Release
A week before the film released on August 15, 1975, during the Emergency, Ramesh Sippy almost got arrested in London. At that time, he was there for its post-production, particularly for the 70mm format.
A senior bureaucrat in Delhi, who Sippy claims wanted to "lay down the rules", had tipped the Indian high commission in London to keep a tab on him.
The filmmaker revealed, "We had arranged for a screening at the Odeon Marble Arch. I had also invited the Indian embassy officials. I was speaking to one of the officials, who had an intuition that it might not be a good idea and we cancelled the show at the last minute. When I turned up at the venue the next morning to apologise, officers were there to arrest me. They couldn't do that because the print wasn't there,"
Sippy recalled how that the late politician VC Shukla, who had come to Bombay for the film's premiere, had personally called up the bureaucrat to enquire why the film was being held up at the airport. "He said if the print is not released in the next one hour, I'll release you from your job."
