Barely 18 when he did Sholay, Sachin Pilgaonkar had already done ample roles as a child artist. He debuted at the incredible age of five in the Marathi movie Ha Maaza Marg Eekla (This is only my path) in 1962. In the classic 1967 Vijay Anand thriller Jewel Thief we can presume that Sachin is the child kidnapped in the opening minutes, a plot that forms the crux of the story. He is seen with Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala in later parts of the film. The 1968 film that won Shammi Kapoor his only Filmfare Best Actor Award - Brahmachari, had Sachin among the adopted children, apart from another child artist Junior Mehmood.
In the same year as Sholay released, Sachin played the lead in the surprise Rajashri Productions' hit Geet Gaata Chal. After a brief period of success in Hindi, his last major solo lead hit was the 1982 Bhojpuri hit Nadiya Ke Paar. As roles became few and far between, Sachin drifted to Marathi films. In the 90's he directed his talented wife Supriya as one of the protagonists on the popular comedy TV series Tu Tu Main Main.
As Ahmed, Sachin plays son to a blind father. The father, played with great pathos by A.K.Hangal, coaxes him to join his uncle's business in the city. Ahmed is adamant on his refusal, he wants to stay and care for his father.Later in the film, Ahmed's character acts as a catalyst for the film's epic gun-booming climax. Like you didn't know all that, fellow Sholay-ites, but then there is always somebody who hasn't seen the film. For that rare specimen, the explanation.
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| An undated recent photo of Sachin |
