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Key Points

Ramesh Sippy reflects on the initial skepticism surrounding Amjad Khan's casting as Gabbar in Sholay. Despite being called a "mouse" among established stars, Khan delivered an iconic performance. The film initially received mixed reviews but became a historic box office success. Today, Sholay remains one of Indian cinema's most influential masterpieces.

Key Points: Ramesh Sippy Recalls Doubts Over Amjad Khan as Sholay's Gabbar

  • Sippy faced backlash for casting Amjad Khan as Gabbar
  • Critics called Khan a "mouse" among bigger stars
  • His performance redefined Bollywood villainy
  • Sholay overcame initial criticism to become a timeless classic
2 min read

'Sholay' turns 50: Ramesh Sippy shares how 'chuha' Amjad Khan became a 'badha star'

Sholay director Ramesh Sippy reveals how Amjad Khan silenced critics to become Bollywood's most iconic villain Gabbar Singh.

"They got a slap on their face—he became the biggest star – Ramesh Sippy"

Mumbai, Aug 15

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has talked about when he first cast Amjad Khan as Gabbar in the blockbuster Sholay, many people doubted his choice and felt the late actor was like a "mouse" compared to the other major stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.

However, Amjad's incredible performance proved everyone wrong and turned out to be an iconic superstar because of the villainous role he played.

Talking about casting controversy over Gabbar, Sippy told IANS: “For those who did not like them they will say this only that many big stars are there and there is a mouse standing in front of them (itne saare badhe actor log hai aur unke saamne ek chuha khada kardiya).”

“And they did not know and got a slap on their face that he only became such a big star (aur unko kya pata tha ki aisi thappad wapas milegi wohi sabse badha star ban gaya),” he added.

Sholay, which also stars Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, is about two criminals, Veeru and Jai, hired by a retired police officer played by Sanjeev Kumar to capture the ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh.

The film was shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, in the southern state of Karnataka, over a span of two and a half years, beginning in October 1973.

In 1990, the original director's cut of 204 minutes became available on home media. When first released, Sholay received negative critical reviews and a tepid commercial response, but favourable word-of-mouth publicity helped it to become a box office success. Sholay is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential Indian films of all time.

Sholay was the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time, and was the highest-grossing film in India up until Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!. By numerous accounts, Sholay remains one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, adjusted for inflation.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
My grandfather used to tell me how people would queue up for hours to watch Sholay in theaters. Even today, when it comes on TV, our whole family gathers to watch. That's the magic of this masterpiece! Amjad Khan was simply brilliant.
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Aman W
Respectfully disagree with the "greatest film" tag. While Sholay is iconic, I feel the female characters were quite weak compared to male leads. Basanti was just screaming most of the time. We've come a long way in character development since then.
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Kavya N
The making of Sholay is as fascinating as the film itself! 2.5 years of shooting in Karnataka's heat - today's stars would never have that patience. And to think it got negative reviews initially! Shows how ahead of its time it was.
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Vikram M
Amjad Khan's Gabbar is the gold standard for villains. Today's villains with their fancy costumes and CGI can't match his raw intensity. That laugh still haunts me! 😅 Ramesh Sippy took a big risk that paid off beautifully.
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Sarah B
As someone new to Indian cinema, Sholay was my introduction to Bollywood classics. The storytelling holds up remarkably well even today. The train sequence is Hollywood-level brilliant! Makes me want to explore more golden era films.

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