Rating:
5.0/5
Star
Cast:
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Dharmendra,
Hema
Malini,
Sanjeev
Kumar,
Amjad
Khan
Director:
Ramesh
Sippy
If
as
William
Shakespeare
told
us,
a
rose
by
any
other
name
smells
just
as
sweet,
then
Sholay
in
any
format
-
3D,
4D
or
whatever,
would
remain
just
the
same.
An
inviolable
classic,
timeless,
as
it
is
timely.
The
new
version,
spruced
up
with
flying
bullets
and
thundering
hoofs,
comes
to
us
at
a
time
when
Dhoom
is
trending.
So
it's
Sholay
3D
weighed
against
Dhoom
3.
Undoubtedly,
the
current
films
that
seem
to
make
so
much
money
seem
to
pale
into
flamboyant
insignificance
when
weighed
against
the
hefty
impact
of
Sholay.
As
many
as
38
years
have
passed
since
Sholay
and
its
astonishing
lines
(Salim-Javed
at
their
pithiest)
created
immediate
and
enduring
history.
Yes,
the
film
opened
badly.
But
then
Rome
and
Amitabh
Bachchan's
career
weren't
built
in
a
day.
With
each
viewing
of
Sholay,
we
come
away
being
wiser
and
richer.
Yes,
this
is
what
'Bollywood'
entertainment
should
always
be
but
seldom
is.
Rich
in
drama,
vivacious
and
vibrant
in
its
characterisations,
Sholay
about
one
armless
man's
two-men
army
and
their
battle
against
a
sadistic
dacoit
(Amjad
Khan)
spawns
innumerable
eras
of
cinematic
experience.
It
is
the
most
well-assembled
screenplay
ever.
With
the
passage
of
time,
we
can
view
the
film
in
episodes
-
the
stunning
train
robbery
sequence
at
the
start,
the
massacre
of
'Thakur'
Sanjeev
Kumar's
family
by
Gabbar
and
his
ragged
henchmen,
Dharmendra's
'suicide'
drama
from
atop
a
water
tower,
'Jai'
Amitabh
Bachchan's
marriage
proposal
on
behalf
of
his
buddy
'Veeru'
Dharmendra,
'Gabbar'
Amjad
Khan's
Russian
roulette
in
the
ravines
with
his
trio
of
petrified
henchmen,
'Rahim
Chacha'
A.K.
Hangal's
son's
poignant
death
scene,
the
widow
'Radha'
Jaya
Bhaduri's
flashback
into
a
colourful
Holi
when
she
accosts
her
future
father-in-law
with
incessant
chatter
(Radha
could
have
been
Basanti),
Jagdeep's
Soorma
Bhopali
and
Asrani's
'angrezon
ke
zamaanein
ka
jailor'
episodes....
each
of
these
and
many
others,
have
a
throbbing
autonomous
life
of
their
own.
And
yet,
here
lies
the
magic
of
a
monumental
classic
-
all
the
accentuated
episodes
come
together
in
a
compelling
cohesive
screenplay
which
blows
your
mind.
This
is
a
revenge
story
with
a
supremely
sustained
momentum.
The
characters
show
no
sign
of
ageing
with
time.
Dharmendra
and
Amitabh
Bachchan's
Veeru
and
Jai
are
to
this
day
roguish
mercenaries
who
seem
to
convey
an
endearing
amorality
in
their
conduct
even
as
they
emerge
as
unlikely
heroes
in
the
Thakur's
fight
against
an
oppressively
cartoonish
outlaw.
There
are
two
romantic
tracks
navigated
by
two
very
contrasting
female
characters.
While
Basanti
(Hema
Malini)
never
stops
chattering,
Radha
(Jaya
Bhaduri)
seldom
speaks.
They
are
portraits
in
contrasts
done
up
in
colours
that
have
acquired
deeper
shades
and
relevance
with
the
passage
of
time.
Dissertations,
thesis,
textbooks
and
essays
have
been
written
on
the
impact
of
"Sholay" on
commercial
Indian
cinema.
Does
the
narrative
show
any
signs
of
wear
and
tear?
Never!
Except
when
monetary
amounts
meant
to
be
astronomical
in
1975
are
mentioned.
Thakur
Baldev
Singh
hires
the
services
of
Jai
and
Veeru
for
a
princely
sum
of
Rs
50,000.
That
in
today's
economic
context
would
amount
to
close
to
Rs
10
crore.
And
if
you
have
actors
as
exceptionally
charismatic
as
Amitabh
and
Dharmendra
playing
Jai
and
Veeru,
then
the
characters
seem
priceless.
Has
there
ever
been
a
better
celluloid
illustration
of
male
bonding
than
the
Jai-Veeru
jodi
in
Sholay?
Amitabh
and
Dharmendra
came
together
once
again
as
Ram
and
Balram
in
Vijay
Anand's
film.
But
the
same
chemistry
was
missing.
No
one
can
encore
the
magic
of
Ramesh
Sippy
in
Sholay.
Not
even
Sippy
himself.
And
what
a
team
of
technicians
Sippy
had!
Dwarka
Divecha's
cinematography,
MS
Shinde's
editing
and
RD
Burman's
background
music
will
never
cease
to
take
our
breath
away.
I
always
found
RD
Burman's
songs
in
Sholay
to
be
relatively
weak.
I
still
do.
But
that's
a
very
small
quibble
in
a
film
that
defies
all
analyses.
Incomparably
gripping,
flawlessly
cast
and
impeccably
mounted,
Sholay
in
any
format
is
the
mother
of
all
Bollywood
classics.
Take
a
bow,
Mr
Ramesh
Sippy.
Cast:
Sanjeev
Kumar,
Dharmendra,
Hema
Malini,
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Amjad
Khan
Writers:
Salim
Khan
and
Javed
Akhtar
Director:
Ramesh
Sippy
IANS