'Sholay' turns 37 on 15 August, 2011

According to Shekhar Kapoor (director of 'Elizabeth' and the 'Bandit Queen'), "there has never been a more defining film in Indian screen. Indian film history can be divided into Sholay BC and Sholay AD." Its run at the Bollywood box office caught the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records, where it was inducted for its five year run. The Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar) hires two thugs, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra), to avenge the slaughter of his family, a crime committed by the notorious Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Hema Malini (Basanti) and Jaya Bachchan (Radha) also star in the film. The soundtrack is amazing and is still fresh thirty years after its release. Who can forget Helen's amazing dance sequence to 'Mehbooba, Mehbooba'! What sounds like your typical Bollywood vengeance film goes beyond expectations because of its witty dialogue and well rounded characters. Every role, male or female, is well written and leaves a strong impact on viewers. When a movie is that good, it's hard to duplicate, but is often referred to by movie goers and directors alike.

As I mentioned above, Police Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) hires Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) to avenge the death of his family. The Thakur seeks Jai and Veeru for their bravery and quick wit. They travel to the Thakur's village, where they come across chatterbox Basanti (Hema Malini) and her faithful, Tonga driving horse, Dhano. Instantly, Veeru falls for Basanti and tries to woo her at any cost; while Jai falls for Radha (Jaya Badhuri), the Thakur's widowed daughter-in-law. In Radha, he sees someone who understands pain and sorrow, which he finds captivating. Their existence in the village is peaceful until they encounter the infamous Dacoit Gabbar Singh after Holi festivities.

Sholay: Fun facts about the film

The Making of Gabbar Singh
Gabbar Sing is an influential character because he shows no weakness. Amjad Khan is the first Bollywood villain to have cassettes released with his dialogue. Khan's character had the meatiest lines, a role which both Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan desperately wanted to play. Instead of casting Sanjeev or Amitabh, Ramesh Sippy thought of giving the coveted role to Danny Denzongpa, a well known Bollywood villain. Due to timing problems, Denzongpa backed out. In his place, Sippy cast newcomer Amjad Khan, who showed up to the audition in army fatigues, a gun belt and blackened teeth. Gabbar was the first Bollywood Villain who wasn't a 'Bling Singh' with multiple gold chains and a rumal tied around his neck. Not only did Amjad Khan create his wardrobe, he gave birth to a character Desi moms used to scare children with. 'So Ja Beta; Varna Gabbar Aajayega' (Go to sleep son, or else Gabbar will come).

The Casting
While Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar fought to play Gabbar's role, Dharmendra wanted to play Thakur Baldev Singh. The Thakur has the second most substantial lines aside from Gabbar. This was an intense role, which Dharmendra saw as a challenge, instead of playing Veeru, Jai's comedic sidekick. Once hearing Dharmendra's choice to play the Thakur, Sanjeev Kumar wanted to play Veeru, giving him a chance to be Hema Malini's love interest, whom he had proposed to before shooting. Tired of the constant casting changes, director Ramesh Sippy informed Dharmendra of Sanjeev Kumar's decision to act with Hema Malini, which made Dharmendra quickly agree to play Veeru instead. Sanjeev Kumar may have lost Hema Malini, but his role as the Thakur turned out to be one of his most memorable performances. Sanjeev Kumar gave birth to a character, which exuded class and strength. He convincingly played Radha's (Jaya Badhuri) father-in-law without making it awkward, since Jaya and Sanjeev often played onscreen love interests. To boot, the Thakur's final battle with Gabbar is one heck of a fight scene. It proved that Sanjeev Kumar can kick anyone's butt, even with his hands tied behind his back.

The Romance
Each of the romantic pairs were involved with each other off screen. Audiences flocked to theatres to witness the beginnings of the Hema-Dharmendra and Jaya-Amitabh romances. Some of the romantic interactions were taken from the cast's actual personal experiences. The scene where Jai speaks to Basanti's aunt on Veeru's behalf is taken from a real life incident between Salim Khan and Honey Irani's mother (director of 'Armaan'). Javed Aktar was in love with Honey Irani and wanted Salim to speak to her mother on his behalf. Both Khan and Irani's mother opposed the marriage, which is similar to how Jai felt about Veeru's relationship with Basanti. The majority of the scene's dialogue is taken from the actual conversation. During this scene, Jai swore that Veeru was respectable enough for Basanti and he was almost sure Veeru would stop seeing other women, gambling and being an alcoholic if he married her. Aside from Basanti and Veeru's relationship, Jai and Radha's romantic connection was also exciting to watch. While Basanti and Veeru shared a more light hearted relationship, Jai and Radha had a non-verbal connection. Most of their interactions were done by glancing longingly into each other's eyes. One of the most sensual scenes was when Jai is playing the harmonica outside Thakur's house watching Radha turn off the lamps. Their looks were filled with hope. Each light extinguished except for the lamp in Radha's room as she fell asleep listening to Jai play. This burning lamp in Radha's room represented a flame of hope for their future. During filming, Jaya was five months pregnant with their first child. Jaya Badhuri and Bachchan married before shooting began. Even the bitter and cynical Jai confesses to Veeru of his desire to get married and start a family with Radha.

The movie's impact on Bollywood films
Sholay has influenced thirty years of Bollywood films. Blockbusters like Ram Lakhan, Main Hoon Na, Musifir and Maine Pyar Kiya have either quoted the film or made references to it. Recently, Hema Malini had a biography written about her with an entire chapter dedicated to her role as Basanti. The film continues its run on the big screen, thirty years after its original release to packed theaters. Not only does this film have an amazing script, the songs are still heard at Desi Parties everywhere. Here's some quotes for all you diehard "Sholay" fans, let see if you remember these ones.

Basanti: "Kyunke mujhe befuzool baat karne ki aadat to hai Nahin', (I am not one to engage in idle talk). 'Chal Dhano!' (Go Dhano) 'Tum shaherwale samajhte ho ke hum gaonwale ka akal hai Nahin', (You city people think that we have no brains).

Jai: 'Tumhara naam kya hai Basanti', (What is your name, Basanti?) ''Saala nautanki, ghadi ghadi drama karta hai', (You're such a drama queen)! Khota sikka to dono taraf se khota hota hai', (If the coin toss is bad, you'll lose on both sides).

Thakur Baldev Singh: 'Tum Gabbar Singh ko nahin maaroge! Tum yahan Gabbar ko pakarke mere hawaale karne aaye ho. Zinda', (You will not kill Gabbar! You're here to bring him back to me alive)!

Gabbar Singh: 'Jo darr gaya samjho margaya', (Cowards have a death wish). 'Arre o Saambha, kitne aadmi tay'', (Saambha, how many men were there?)''Bahut yaaraana lagta hai, eh' (You're really hot for each other, eh)'