‘Sholay should remain untouched’: Hema Malini as the film clocks 50 years

We agree with Hema Malini when she says that if one hasn’t watched Sholay (1975), they have “missed out on something in life”. But then, it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone in the country not having devoured director Ramesh Sippy’s action drama. Almost everyone knows of Jai-Veeru’s friendship, immortalised on screen by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. The late Sanjeev Kumar’s dialogue ‘Loha garam hai, maar do hathoda’ and Amjad Khan’s line ‘Kitne aadmi the?’ have become a staple in pop culture. The film, which completes 50 years of release on August 15, has over the decades reaffirmed its position as the most iconic Hindi film.    

Hema Malini disapproves of changed ending

To mark the 50-year milestone, the classic’s restored version was screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Italy in June with the original climax, which shows Kumar’s Thakur killing Gabbar Singh with his spiked shoes. Before Sholay’s 1975 release, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had found the ending too violent, and as a result, it was changed to depict Gabbar being taken away by the cops. The unreleased version will also be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 6.      
 
Holding the released version dear to her heart, Malini shares, “I heard the last scene was changed, which I don’t agree with. It should remain untouched. They have no business changing it.”

Hema Malini thought Basanti was a `small role`

Her attachment to the classic is understandable. But had Malini, who played the effervescent Basanti, imagined that the film would achieve cult status? “We thought it was a very nice film, shot differently like the Hollywood ones,” says the senior actor. In fact, she was initially hesitant to come on board when Sippy approached her for the role. Malini recalls, “He told me, ‘You do this role. It is very impactful.’ I agreed immediately, but in my mind, I [thought], ‘This is a small role, no problem’. I felt like I’m doing a favour when in fact, they had done me a favour.”
 
The senior actor vividly remembers her first day of shoot – she had to film the temple sequence where Dharmendra’s character tricks her, and was handed a three-page dialogue. She credits Javed Akhtar, who penned the film with Salim Khan, for easing things for her. “I was a little worried because the dialogues were interlinked. Then Javed saab told me, ‘This is how you have to speak’. From that day, I never looked back.”
 
With Basanti easily one of her career-defining roles, she is open to the idea of the character getting a spin-off. Does she have any actor in mind who could step into her shoes? “There are many artistes ready to do it, and they should do it. I can’t specifically mention somebody’s name. It’s not difficult to do Basanti’s role. The personality has to suit [them] and the look has to come [together].”