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Sholay
- the magnum opus that altered the course of Hindi cinema. It was
the reference point for both the Indian film-going audience and
the film industry. Sholay, is not merely a film, it is the ultimate
classic. In celebration of this awesome production by the Sippys,
Anupama Chopra’s this year’s National Award winning book,
Sholay: The Making of a Classic is an enthralling story of how a
four line idea grew to become the greatest blockbuster of Indian
cinema. The story of how the characters from the film -- Veeru,
Jai, Gabbar, the Thakur, Basanti, Radha, Soorma Bhopali and Sambha
are now a part of Indian folklore. Even the starring animal, Dhanno,
the mare, has been immortalized. The book rekindles the magic of
the evergreen classic.
The perfect
way to commemorate the film’s 25th anniversary was combining
it with the launch of the book. The Sippys threw a grand party Mumbai’s
Regent hotel that was attended by the luminaries of the film industry.
Abhishek, Shahdaab and Rohan Sippy read out passages from the book
relating to their parents’ experiences. It was a nostalgic
evening. Spirits were high as Bachchan recalled his struggle to
convince the Sippys to choose him over Shatrughan Sinha. Many other
secrets are revealed in the pages of this book like the last minute
confusion over dates that landed the role of Gabbar Singh to Amjad
Khan. It also unveils Sanjeev Kumar’s love for Hema Malini
that remained one-side, and the blossoming of the Dharam-Hema romance
on the sets of this film that eventually culminated in marriage.
Commenting
on the occasion, Ramesh Sippy, the director of Sholay, said, “The
great skill and clarity while writing the book has re-kindled the
entire experience for me and leaves me with a deep sense of nostalgia
and reminiscence. I would like to thank Orange for making the coffee-table
version of this beautiful narrative possible.”
Narrating her
experiences while writing the book, Anupama Chopra said, “I
talked to over 50 people, from Amitabh Bachchan to Badhur, the cook
who fed the unit in Ramanagaram. Everybody was extremely co-operative.
They spent time and energy trying to recall stories from 25 years
ago. I had eight to nine sessions with Ramesh Sippy. We started
with his childhood and worked all the way to the release and success
of the film. He had some fascinating stories to tell: like how he
and cinematographer Dwarka Divecha took over twenty days to shoot
the central massacre sequence (Gabbar Singh kills the family) because
they wanted an overcast look. But since clouds aren’t made-to-order,
they would just wait for the Gods to do the lighting.
At the end
of the speeches, the stars of Rohan Sippy’s new film, Aishwarya
Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, were summoned on stage, following which
the guests were free to mingle.
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| The
hero and the maker |
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The
technicians behind the classic. |
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The
second generation: Abhishek, Shahdaab Khan and Rohan Sippy. |
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