Sholay: A Cultural Phenomenon: The cultural impact of the film on Indian cinema and society

Sholay, a 1975 Indian action-adventure film, directed by Ramesh Sippy and produced by his father G. P. Sippy, is not only a cinematic masterpiece but a cultural phenomenon that has had an immense impact on Indian cinema and society. 

The film features a stellar ensemble cast, including Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan, who brought to life some of the most iconic characters in Indian cinema history. Since its release, Sholay has been re-released several times, and its popularity continues to grow, making it one of the greatest Indian films ever made.

Sholay is not just a film, but a cultural phenomenon that has had an enormous impact on Indian cinema and society.

Released on 15 August 1975, Sholay was an instant box office success, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. The film's popularity continued to grow over the years, and it is still considered one of the greatest Indian films ever made. Sholay has been re-released several times, and it continues to draw audiences even today.

Memorable characters: One of the main reasons for Sholay's enduring popularity is its iconic characters. Each of the characters in the film is unique and memorable, from the heroic Jai and Veeru to the villainous Gabbar Singh. The film's dialogues have become part of the Indian lexicon, with lines like "Kitne aadmi the?" and "Yeh haath mujhe de de Thakur" being quoted and parodied in popular culture.

Grime and grittiness: Sholay also broke new ground in Indian cinema by introducing a more gritty, realistic style of filmmaking. The film's portrayal of violence and its depiction of the harsh realities of life in rural India was a departure from the escapist, romantic films that were popular at the time. Sholay's success paved the way for a new generation of filmmakers to explore more socially relevant themes in their films.

Breaking social taboos: Another reason for Sholay's cultural impact is the way it addressed issues of gender and class. The film's portrayal of the relationship between the upper-class Thakur and the lower-caste villagers was groundbreaking for its time. Similarly, the film's female characters were portrayed as strong and independent, challenging the traditional gender roles of Indian society.

Music, costumes: Sholay also had a significant impact on Indian fashion and style. The film's costumes, particularly Hema Malini's iconic white outfit, became hugely popular, and the film's music, composed by R. D. Burman, is still regarded as a classic.

Pop culture and Sholay: In addition to its impact on Indian cinema and society, Sholay has also influenced international pop culture. The film has been referenced and parodied in films and TV shows around the world, from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill to The Simpsons.

Sholay, the enduring classic: In conclusion, Sholay is a cultural phenomenon that has had an enormous impact on Indian cinema and society. Its iconic characters, realistic style, and portrayal of gender and class issues have made it a timeless classic. Sholay's enduring popularity is a testament to its relevance and importance, almost five decades since its release.

Sholay Aftereffects: The Gabbar Glucose-D Print Ad

Sholay: Black & White Stills V

Sholay: Black & White Stills III

Another SHOLAY Vintage Poster

SHOLAY Vintage Posters

Lead actors Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan are almost unrecognizable in these vintage hand-painted posters of SHOLAY.  

Yet Another SHOLAY Poster

Another SHOLAY Poster

Sholay Dialogue Baazi: Tera Kya Hoga, Kalia?

A bullet away from death, it is a really a bad day on the job for Kalia. It doesn't get any better when the boss wants to fire him, literally. Gabbar sadistically asks as a parting nod: 
TERA KYA HOGA KALIA?

Sholay Dialogue Baazi: Kitne Aadmi The?

 

It is Gabbar's iconic entry scene, and unlike other Hindi films, much is implied. Kalia and fellow dacoits return without any loot from Ramgadh. Word spreads around and we assume that Samba has passed the message on to the boss.  

Our outrageous theory 
Gabbar considers, "How many people did Thakur hire after all? Can I hire them too? Do they cost much? Will they ask for a 40% hike on previous net salary? Should I put up a counter ad on naukri.com and bid higher than Thakur? After all, Veeru and Jai work only for money (So he has heard). Then Gabbar does his walk and utters:
 

KITNE AADMI THE?

DO SARDAR...

HMMM...WOH DO THE, AUR TUM TEEN, PHIR BHI LAUT AAYE, KHALI HAATH...KYA SOCH KE AAYE THE,SARDAR KHUSH HOGA, SHABASHI DEGA KYUN...

SUVAR KE BACHON!!!

(OINK, OINK, OINK?!)

Sholay Dialogue Baazi: Jo Darr Gaya...

When fear threatens to vanquish you, keep aside your mountain dew for a moment and heed Gabbar Singh's advice: JO DARR GAYA...SAMJHO MAR GAYA!

Sholay in 3D: Trailer Stills I

The Thakur family execution

Kalia's last moments

Ramgarh's holi revelry has uninvited guests

Jai looks all colours blazing in the 3D version 

A train chugs along

Sholay in 3D: The Latest Offical Trailer

With two days to go for the historic release, the latest Sholay in 3D trailer is doing the rounds on youtube. This trailer is impressively done, with good juxtaposed edit cuts, considering that most of us have seen the 2D version more than once. Click here to watch the trailer.

The RD Burman background music seems to have been tweaked to suit modern aural sensibilities. What looks most pleasing to the eye is the picture quality. Finally Sholay looks brand new in this enhanced print. Why, even if you consider the latest Pen DVD of Sholay, the print is just about OK.

Then there are many of us who were not yet born or (possibly) conceived when the film was first released in 1975 on 70mm stereophonic sound. 
 
So, bring it on! 

Sholay 3D Poster ii

Sholay 3D: The 'Gabbar' Poster

Sholay Fan Club: Amitabh Bachchan Posts on Twitter

Sholay 3D Poster i

While the Sholay 3D release date is still a mystery, the poster is finally out! The latest rumours are that the film will release on Amitabh Bachchan's 71st birthday - October 11, 2013. Nothing is confirmed as yet.

Sholay Moments: Who will take Basanti Home?

 

A major dilemma in Sholay's final moments and certainly an awkward one. Who the hell will take Basanti home? Veeru or Jai? They could have left it to the horse too. Basanti was an expert in riding the tanga, so surely, surely, surely she could ride back to Ramgarh on horseback. Was it about chivalry then? What were Veeru and Jai afraid of? That Gabbar's pack would catch up with Basanti and hold her at ransom? 

The decision is finally made by Jai, when a machine gun bullet finally catches up with a Hindi film hero, right on the back. Even as Jai jumps to safety, we must understand that neither Veeru or Basanti have seen the wound. It is a moment of great sacrifice and we can only watch when Jai tosses the fatal coin and thus seals his fate. 

Amrish Puri in Mr. India

Bullets and Heroes (Before Rajnikanth) 

I could go on and on about the bullet that first gets Jai. There are very few Hindi film heroes who have been felled by enemy fire post Sholay, all through the trashy eighties and redundant nineties. If either Amrish Puri, Ranjit, Gulshan Grover or Prem Chopra finally did get to the gun, there was always a sister, mother, evil brother gone good, vamp turned pure woman, or former lover (lesser paid heroine) who would dive in lightning speed to save the hero. Then bloody and dying, they would make their final speeches, if needed bring the hero and heroine's hands together and then pass away in a twist of head on cosy denim hero lap. 

Sholay and Spoofs

Not a long time ago, when MTV and V used to be music channels with a few laughs lined up in between (Quick Gun Murugan, The Liftman, etc) there were some funny spoofs done on Sholay. One tickling series, shows how Jai steals Basanti from Veeru, even as the latter is haplessly bonded by friendship. Hence in the reenactment of the final scenes, Jai tricks Veeru to stay back by the toss of the coin and thus makes away with Basanti. If Sholay were to be remade as an epic story of betrayal, Jai would have made a bigger name as a villain and even Gabbar would have roared in disgust, "Dikkar hai!" So much for alternatives.    

Sholay Stills: Yeh Haath...

It is a moment that defines the entire film - that Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) makes his choice - he lets Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar) live. Not before maiming him for life though. 

Gabbar Singh seems like any other endearing Hindi film villain until this point, but when we see the pair of swords swishing the air in sheer brutality, we know he has to be destroyed. That in some way justice has to be served.Unlike the Thakur family execution which is without any villainous dialogue, here Gabbar is at his sadistic height, hatefully playful when he screams "Yeh haath hum ka dede Thakur!" ("Give us thy arms, Thakur!). 

Thakur's character is brought to the fore in the matter of seconds. He is a man of honour, and in his loss and rage, ready to be killed by Gabbar Singh. But as would any of us be horrified, he bellows, "Nahi" ("No!"). Take my life, but certainly not my arms - it is an intense scene of audience connect, we would said so too - "Not my arms." 

Sanjeev Kumar matches up to the brilliant debutant Amjad Khan with a natural vibrancy, watch his eyes in those final moments of barbarism. Unforgettable.

The act also makes it plausible in the story for Gabbar Singh to not think the unthinkable - that in a boomerang of events, his arms would be crushed by an armless Thakur wearing nail-poking shoes. That Thakur would be asking him, "Yeh haath hum ko dede!" 

We don't blame Gabbar. High on confidence, savageness and cruelty, Gabbar didn't invest on a pack of spies to loom the Thakur household and inform him, "Well, Ramlal is making him some new shoes, beware!" But then, it was GP Sippy who was financing the film, and he was certainly not a dacoit. 

Explaining the Unexplainable: Why I Love Sholay! VOL I

I have to admit, with a heavy heart and a freelance writer's objectivity that many films of the action adventure genre are cinematically...(Sholay fans, brace for impact!) better than Sholay. 

Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy starring Clint Eastwood - A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and the grand finale The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966) are clear inspirations for the Salim-Javed screenplay. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) builds a believable, enduring chemistry between its two bank robbing outlaws.   

Sholay wedged between these half-a-dozen films, is an unlikely contender, a dark horse claimant to cinematic glory.

 

The love of Monologue

So why do I love Sholay? That despite the western garb, Sholay is the quintessential Hindi commercial film. Unlike the Leone films, Sippy's characters speak a lot, monologues are a fad. Gabbar Singh has his outraged sessions, Veeru does a drunken over the top, over the water tank slurring, Soorma Bhopali has a hapless exaggerated story to tell, Basanti elaborates breezily on her career choice and finally, Imam Sahab has the most poignant of all the monologues to deliver. 

Usually a film has a single engaging cameo, Sholay has a whole motley hoard of them, all in varied shades, much like the holi song lyrics - Holi ke din dil khil jaate hai, rangon mein rang mil jaate hai..(On the day of holi, hearts bloom, colours merge in to colours...) 

The late Indian writer RK Narayan may scowl from up there when I say that just like Malgudi, Ramgarh is a place where time stands still. That even in this age of cell phones, social networking narcissism and motor vehicles (Neigh?!Say the horses), the characters in Sholay are destined to play their parts over and over again. 

So here's to Gabbar lifting two menacing swords in sheer savagery, flirtatious Veeru shooting down mangoes and a wounded Jai flinging that stick of dynamite...one more time!