I must admit that I was never a big fan of old Indian movies until the Turner Movie Classics channel started having their Bollywood tribute last month. I have taped all of them & Sholay is one of my all time favorites now. I have heard that this movie was immensely popular in India & had a good 5 year run at the box office. Now I understand why. For those who are clueless to Curry Westerns (like me), Sholay stars one of Bollywood’s most enduring icons Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra (whom I understand is retired now). They are two buddies, inseperable to the core.
Amitabh plays Jai, the responsible, focused, and patient friend. Dhamendra plays Veeru, spontaneous, immature, and emotional child-man in tight flared jeans (this was 1975 so everybody looked like they were in the cast of Starsky & Hutch). From the first time we lay eyes on these two, we already know we are in store for something real good. The fight scene & histrionics on the train was just classic! On with the story - Jai & Veeru are hired to do a ’’job’’ for the town sheriff, Thakur Baldevsingh (Sanjeev Kumar) to capture the notorious Gabbar Singh played by the amazing Amjad Khan, (remember this name, ladies & gentlemen. Gabbar Singh is the most famous, and most wretched villain in the history of Hindi cinema) who is wanted not dead but alive. We wonder what designs the sheriff has on Gabbar Singh. Why would you want such a dangerous man alive? Surely someone so evil should be executed in movies, right?
As the story unfolds, we find out just how evil is EVIL and Gabbar Singh is the most evil of them all. Nothing and nobody is spared when you cross Gabbar Singh’s path. We see the Sheriff arrive in town to see four members of his clan dead & covered with white sheets outside his house. Consumed by rage & anger, the Sheriff takes his horse up the valleys to avenge the death of his family. Gabbar Singh captures him & what he does can only be described as pure cinematic genius. I didn’t see it coming and I won’t explain what it is so you have to watch it to find out.
Amitabh Bachchan & Dharmendra are prefectly cast in this movie. Jai & Veeru is the prototype of all selfless friendships. Their outfits were WAY cool! Who can forget Amitabh’s cream colored ultraflared slacks w/ the matching blazer? Or Dharmendra’s blue jeans ensemble with that tight fitting jeanjacket & butthugging jeans? I personally thought Dharmemdra looked sexy as hell & I never knew Esha Deol’s father could even look this good but then again this was 1975. Hema Malini as Basanti was a chatterbox. Such a stunning woman but her character annoys me. Jaya Bandhuri (now Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh’s real life wife) gracefully played the introverted widow that is secretely in love with Jai.
And now for my favorite part of the review - the songs! All the songs were classics & I especially liked the very first one with Jai & Veeru on the motorbike singing about friendship. My most favorite number however is none other than Mehbooba, Mehbooba...’’. I’m like WOW! Is that Helen? I can’t believe she was ever that young & skinny. And I LOVE this song so much! It’s on my voicemail right now it’s just as catchy and dancable today as it was 27 years ago.
One of the most unforgettable scene for me was when Basanti (Hema Malini) had to dance under the hot desert sun to save Veeru’s life. She had to dance on top of broken glass & the vision of her feet leaving imprints of blood on the rocky ground was such a dramatic gesture. I wonder if this is a reccuring theme in Hindi films as I saw something simillar in Pakeeza. Anyway, that’s all I have to say about this most awesome movie. I have already watched this like 4 times & I could kick myself in the head for not watching this a lot sooner. If I had one complaint about this movie then it would be the film that is circulating is grainy & should have been stored better. Perhaps someone who cares enough about these timeless classics should digitally restore or enhance this movie. It really does deserve the royal treatment, in my opinion. Sholay is a Classic in every sense of the word!