Top 100 Bollywood Movies Of All Time: No.63 - "Sholay", 5 Interesting Facts About The Benchmark Of Indian Film History

Forty-four years ago, Sholay was made with the participation of Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, and Amjad Khan. It was of hardly any expectation that the movie would make such a huge breakthrough and became the iconic benchmark of Indian movie history.

Every detail of the film, from the original tracks, the subtle plot with influential dialogues to the characters, all left an unforgettable trademark in the audiences’ hearts and minds. Ever since its release, the movie still has an enormous impact and impression on generations.

The movie made it to number 63 among Top 100 Bollywood Movies Of All Time. As the megahit movie is still holding a special place in every viewer, we will bring you a number of fascinating facts of Sholay that may intrigue you:

1. Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh

Did you know about the fact that the late actor Amjad Khan was not the odds-on-favorite for the role of Gabbar Singh?

This character was initially proposed to actor Danny Denzongpa. Nevertheless, he refused this offer as he was busy preparing for Dharmatma helmed by Feroz Khan. The movie was set to be shot at the same time as Sholay in Afghanistan.

2. On-set love stories

Dharmendra-Hema Malini and Amitabh-Jaya Bachchan are among the most admired and darling couples of Bollywood. Well did you know that the two pairs were both had a romantic relationship while Sholay was being filmed?

As a matter of fact, Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan had gotten married only four months prior to the slating of the famed movie. Meanwhile, Dharmendra and Hema tied the knot for half a decade after the smash hit came to the front.

3. Bachan's children

The renowned Bachan lovebirds were pregnant with their first kid Shweta while Sholay was being shot. Jaya’s maternity got the shooting to adjourn for a number of days. How engrossing! At the time Sholay was released, the couple was expecting the second child who later was named Abhishek Bachchan.

4. Goddess Hema Malini

Hema Malini was truly the woman of many dreams both in and outside the B-town. One of the men that went totally head over heels for her was seasoned actor Sanjeev Kumar, who took the courage to propose to her prior to the shooting of the movie.

Another huge fanboy of the beauty was Dharmendra. He went gaga for Hema Malini to the point that he allegedly paid the light men to disturb the filming whenever there was a romantic scene of the pair. Therefore, he would be able to retake it with her more times.

5. A twist to make a breakthrough

Sholay was initially brought to the front with a dissimilar climax in August 1975. On the other hand, the movie received average reaction which made the movie makers reconsider the original climax.

Then, they decided to make the scene where Jai, portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan, was killed to the final cut. The idea was a smart movement and helped Sholay break quite a lot of records, making it one of the most iconic films in Indian movie history.