Javed Akhtar, the writer of Sholay, discusses the film's original plot as it approaches its 50th anniversary.
In the annals of Indian cinema, few films have left an indelible mark quite like Sholay. The iconic 1975 film, directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, has become a cultural phenomenon, known for its memorable dialogues, unbreakable friendship, and powerful villains. However, the original plot of this cinematic masterpiece was quite different from what eventually graced the silver screen.
Initially, the story was centered around two sacked army men and a powerful dacoit, with characters like Basanti and Radha not part of the initial plot [2]. The protagonists were intended to be two sacked army men, but due to limitations in portraying army personnel, they were changed to a cop (Thakur) and two hoodlums (Jai and Veeru) [1].
The climax of the original script, as revealed by Javed Akhtar, was a brutal act of revenge. Thakur, played by Sanjeev Kumar, was to exact vengeance on Gabbar Singh (Amjad Singh) by killing him with his bare feet, following Gabbar's brutal destruction of Thakur's family [1][3]. However, due to censorship and political pressure during the Emergency period (1975), the ending was changed, resulting in a more sanitized climax where Gabbar is arrested by the police [1][3]. This change frustrated the writers, as it weakened the emotional spine of the film.
Despite the film's cult status, Javed Akhtar maintains that the timelessness of Sholay was unintentional. He states that the year 1975 was significant for him, bringing money, recognition, and a name [4]. Akhtar had aspirations to assist legendary Guru Dutt and become a director [5].
Regarding the modern-day professions of Jai and Veeru, Akhtar speculates they would be in the corporate sector if they were in the contemporary world [6]. However, he has expressed no desire to change anything in Sholay.
In an exciting turn of events, Jitank Singh Gurjar's debut feature, In Search Of The Sky, is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025 [7].
Sholay, with its sargam of human emotions including vendetta, unspoken love, friendship, and simplicity of the village, continues to captivate audiences, proving that its timeless appeal was indeed unintentional but most certainly well-deserved.
- The transformation of characters in the original plot of Sholay, such as the change of protagonists from sacked army men to a cop and two hoodlums, shows the flexibility of movies-and-tv entertainment to cater to audience preferences and production constraints.
- Despite the cultural influence and timeless appeal of Sholay, it's interesting to note that Javed Akhtar regards the success of the film as unintentional, possibly indicating that the true essence of cinema lies not in its intended message but in its ability to entertain and captivate audiences.
