‘Sholay’ revisited: Three pivotal scenes in Ramesh Sippy’s classic film

One of the most enduringly popular Indian films, whose scenes, lines and songs are imprinted on the minds of several generations, is back on the big screen this week. Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay was released in 1975. The revenge saga about a retired police officer who hires two crooks to capture a dreaded dacoit has re-emerged in theatres several times since, including in a 3D format.

What’s new this time round is the quality of the visuals. A restoration carried out earlier in the year by Sippy Films and Film Heritage Foundation has resulted in spanking new images that better bring out Sippy’s grand vision and cinematographer Dwarka Divecha’s brilliance.

More crucially, Sholay – The Final Cut has the film’s original ending, which was rejected by the censor board at the time because it was considered too violent. The restored Sholay also has two scenes deleted from the original release.

Sholay stars Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra as the gentlemen thieves Jai and Veeru. Sanjeev Kumar is Baldev Singh, the ex-cop who is grievously wronged by the dacoit Gabbar Singh, played by Amjad Khan.

Hema Malini is the feisty tonga driver whom Veeru loves. Jaya Bachchan is Radha, Baldev Singh’s widowed daughter-in-law who captures Jai’s heart. Comic relief is provided by Jagdeep, as a braggart...

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