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Sholay celebrates it's 50th anniversary • Harsh Thakor The Western Indian lives on forever

On 15th August we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the legendary movie ‘Sholay.’ My watching this film in Minerva theatre fifty years ago with a friend, is an unforgettable day in my like Sholay is considered and is arguably the most impactful movie of our millennium, resonating passion at inexorable levels. It is hard to find an adjective which could do justice to reflecting the magnetic effect with which it pulled crowds and how for decades it has resonated the hearts of fans. No movie ever became so much apart and parcel of the Indian folklore or shaped the Indian psyche.

Sholay chronicled in an era of films that centred on action and antiheroes. In a film industry dominated by more traditional and conservative themes, this type of movie reflected a politically unsettled time in India.
Sholay is directed by Ramesh Sippy and casts the Amitabh Bachchan as Jai and Dharmendra as his fun-loving partner Veeru. Jai and Veeru are career criminals who get hired by a retired police officer named Thakur (played by Sanjeev Kumar) to perform role to capture a dangerous bandit called Gabbar Sing (Amjad Khan) and his band of outlaws who are terrorizing the small village where the retired police officer lives.

Sholay symbolised or showcased the Indian form of a spaghetti Western and lit a new dawn in history of Bollywood cinema. Sholay is transplant or graft of famous Western films like ‘Magnificent seven’, ‘The Good Bad and the Ugly’,, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ‘and ‘Once upon a time in the West. ‘Most craftily it has adapted the Western Spaghetti format to integrate with Indian rural culture., being set in Ramgarh village.

Character and Highlights of Sholay
The manner Sholay was made was a kind of an epic in itself, with the directors, script writers and artist undergoing the most painstaking of tasks, reminiscent of an epic exploration journey.
The remarkable aspect about Sholay is that it stealthily abides time for a classical plot to exploded.
The movie made a   perfect synthesis in blending comedy, pathos, and action to create an almost perfect concoction.  The plot is most effectively woven, synchronised and dissected. With an imaginative touch it has interspersed tragedy with humour, creating the effect of joy spiring from sadness.
The film transcended cinematography in domains not transcended in Bollywood, encapsulating vast landscapes and panoramic views. The scene changes are most deftly executed and the contrasting characters has been fused together with nuanced craft to create rhythmic chemistry.

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Scenes of the Dacoits raiding Ramgarh village, the shootout with dacoits in the train scene at the start, the flashback of the tragic Story of the Thakur, Gabbar Singh mocking his fellowmen in the den ,Jai’s subtle romance with Radha,gun fights between dacoits withVeera and Jai,  the humorous scenes with Asrani in jail, Veeru’s drunken scene trying to woo Hema Malini, Jai playing the mouth organ conveying his love to Radha, Imam Saab seeking redemption for Jai  and Veeru even after his son has been killed by the dacoits, and the final scenes of Jai’s death scene  and Thakur punishing Gabbar, the movie captivated and shook an audience on the very edge of the seats as never before., transcending suspense and  entertainment in domains unparalleled. The movie incorporated the format of a Western with Indian characteristics. With most stealthy and nuanced craft, the plot undertakes a transition at different stages and crystallises into a climax of the final triumph of good over evil. Regretfully the original scene of the Thakur crushing Gabbar Singh to death, was censored and had to be replaced with Gabbar being handed over to the police.

Sholay’s landscape shots, particularly its opening sequence, give the film the sensation that symbolises the lawless theme of the story. The main duo (played by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan), are anti-heroes in their own right, defying conventions of Bollywood heroes. The filming the action-packed opening train chase could compare with the best filming of train scenes in Hollywood.

Both Dharmendra and Bachchan are the stereotypical western outlaws of absolutely contrasting character-Dharmendra an outspoken extrovert while Amitabh as Jai an introvert. The projection of their bonding together inspite of their nature being poles apart, characterises the movie’s theme. The remarkable aspect about Sholay is that it stealthily abides time for a classical plot to explode The bond between Dharmendra and Bachchan is soul searching.

The acting of Amjad Khan in role of Gabbar Singh, had overtones of genius, transcending intensity in anger and sadism in volumes possibly unparalleled in Hindi films by a dacoit. Sanjeev Kumar, enacting the Thakur personified spirit of vengeance and moral conviction in a most nuanced and sensitive manner. Dharmendra was brilliant as Veeru in his comedy scenes and when seeking vengeance of his friend Jai’s killing, while Amitabh, as Jai, in the death scene, escalated emotional intensity and feeling of redemption to inexorable heights. The two female leads, Jaya Bhaduri and Hema Malini, also do a great job with their roles in blossoming romance in entirely contrasting styles. Hema as Basanti, the extrovert and chatterbox, while Jaya as Radha an epitome of silence whose eyes did the talking.

I wish to point out some ethical themes. Immam Sahib, enacted by AK Hangal wishing that he had even more sons to me martyred after his son Ahmed, enacted by Sachin, was executed by dacoits, insisting that Thakur’s 2 gunmen remain in the village, asserting that it is better to die death of respect than live a life of cowardice, symbolises moral character to fight to the a last against injustice. In a subtle way also showcased oppression of fellow Muslim, which is so rampant today, with ongoing Islamophobia. Similarly, Jai and Veeru returning the stolen money, after hearing the grief-stricken story of the Thakur of his experience faced at the hands of Gabbar, but still committed to the task of capturing Gabar Singh.; symbolises moral character. The character of both gangsters Jai and Veeru also undergoes a subtle, transformation, gravitating towards morality, which is noteworthy.

Flaws of Movie

It glorifies the sanctity or morality of a Thakur, concealing his oppressive co-relation with farmers or villagers in reality. It casts two urban gangsters wishing to settle in a village, which is unrealistic.
In my view it is inappropriate for a Western to be grafted into the Indian scenario, as it does scant respect to the Indian social conditions. Sholay has excessive hit and run scenes and dacoit chases, and overdone melodrama.

Sholay, glorifies individual heroism and machismo at the cost of exploring social upheaval and injustice. It manifests the narcasm of an oppressive society., glorifying the tussle between a Thakur and a dacoit, but undermining the social phenomenon beneath them. Sholay being glorified arguably symbolises India’s oppressive social order.

The movie does not explore the grave condition of the peasantry under the yoke of landlord oppression. Sholay synthesised a ‘Western cowboy film not giving due respect to the social reality or conditions of India. Unlike ‘Mother India’ or ‘Ganga Jamuna’ the movie has abstained from tracing any of the deeply rooted evils inherent in society that bred dacoity nor any collective role of villagers in resistance against dacoits like in ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh. ’The Magnificent Seven ‘had a theme of land struggle of farmers based on the story ‘The Seven Sumari’ while ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid’ portrayed the predominant culture that triggered gangsterism or robbery.

The plot glorifies the role of the Thakur’s 2 hired men, Jai and Veerua, and projects no collective resistance of the villagers against the dacoits or the integration of Veeru and Jai, with them, in confronting the dacoits.
 Dacoit leader Gabbar Singh and the dacoits are portrayed as complete sadists, which distorts the true character of dacoits and places into obscurity the social aspects that germinate their existence.
Asrani, portraying a Hitler image as a jailer in an ‘Angrez’ style jail, is unrealistic.

Some of the dialogue also slip into the morass of mediocrity. The movie is packed with comedic filler, which showcases entertainment value not beyond childish slapstick and people yelling, and of no relation the climax of the story. The entire jail sequence in particular is gratuitous. ..

© Harsh Thakor August 15th
Harsh is a freelance journalist

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