50 years of Sholay: Actors who rejected the classic directed by Ramesh Sippy

The iconic Hindi-language film Sholay will complete 50 years of release on August 15, 2025. Written by the celebrated writer duo Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, the 1975 blockbuster featured legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in the lead, alongside Amjad Khan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, and Sanjeev Kumar. Directed by Ramesh Sippy, the making of the film has an interesting backstory, with several actors rejecting roles- unaware of how iconic the movie would become.

Actors who rejected Sholay

Danny Denzongpa

The actor was considered for the role of the iconic villain Gabbar Singh by the producers, but he could not take it up as he was already working on Feroz Khan’s Dharmatma (1975). Even Sanjeev Kumar had expressed interest in playing Gabbar, but Salim-Javed felt his on-screen image of sympathy, due to his past roles, didn’t fit the part.

Shatrughan Sinha

Ramesh Sippy wanted Sinha for the role of Jai. However, Amitabh Bachchan lobbied hard for the part, and Salim-Javed were impressed with his earlier work, including Zanjeer. Dharmendra also recommended Bachchan for the role.

Dilip Kumar

Salim-Javed had approached the superstar for the role of Thakur Baldev Singh, but he declined. Later, Kumar admitted it was one of the few films he regretted turning down.

Pran

The veteran actor was also considered for Thakur Baldev Singh’s role but refused.

Reportedly, Feroz Khan, Jeetendra and Asha Parekh were also approached for lead roles.

More About Sholay

The film was shot in a town called Ramnagara in Karnataka over a period of two and a half years, beginning in October 1973. The initial cut had several violent scenes, which the CBFC objected to. The final theatrical cut was 198 minutes long. In 1990, the original director’s cut of 204 minutes was made available in home video formats.