Editing Sholay (section)

== Production ==
=== Development ===
The screenwriter pair [[Salim–Javed]], consisting of [[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]], began narrating the idea for ''Sholay'' as a four-line snippet to filmmakers in 1973.<ref name="open" />{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} The idea was rejected by two producer/director teams, including directors [[Manmohan Desai]] and [[Prakash Mehra]].{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} About six months after the release of ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973),{{efn|name=Zanjeer|Salim-Javed won their first [[Filmfare Awards]] for ''Zanjeer'': [[Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay]] and [[Filmfare Award for Best Story|Best Story]] in [[21st Filmfare Awards|1974]].}} Salim-Javed contacted [[G. P. Sippy]] and his son [[Ramesh Sippy]],<ref name="open" /> and narrated the four-line snippet to them.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} Ramesh Sippy liked the concept of ''Sholay'' and hired them to develop it. The original idea of the film involved an army officer who decided to hire two ex-soldiers to avenge the murder of his family. The army officer was later changed to a policeman because Sippy felt that it would be difficult to get permission to shoot scenes depicting army activities. Salim-Javed completed the script in one month, incorporating names and personality traits of their friends and acquaintances.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} The film's script and dialogues are in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]];<ref name="Cinar" /> Salim-Javed wrote the dialogues in [[Urdu script]], which was then transcribed by an assistant into [[Devanagari]] script so that Hindi readers could read the Urdu dialogues.<ref name="Akhtar" />

The film's plot was loosely styled after [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s 1954 [[samurai cinema]] film, ''[[Seven Samurai]]''.<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="rediff1" /> ''Sholay'' is a defining example of the [[Dacoit Western]] film, combining the conventions of Indian [[dacoit film]]s, especially [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and the [[Dilip Kumar]] and [[Nitin Bose]] film ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961),<ref name="Teo" /> with that of [[Western (genre)|Westerns]],<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="rediff1" /> especially [[Sergio Leone]]'s [[Spaghetti Western]]s such as ''[[Once Upon a Time in the West]]'' (1968) as well as ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'' (1960).<ref name="rediff1" /> It also has some plot elements borrowed from the Indian films ''[[Mera Gaon Mera Desh]]'' (1971) and ''[[Khote Sikkay]]'' (1973).{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} A scene depicting an attempted train robbery was inspired by a similar scene in ''Gunga Jumna'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Tapan K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0d6GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |title=Bollywood Baddies: Villains, Vamps and Henchmen in Hindi Cinema |date=2013 |publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]] |isbn=9788132113263 |page=55 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/https://books.google.com/books?id=0d6GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has also been compared to a similar scene in ''[[North West Frontier (film)|North West Frontier]]'' (1959).{{sfn|Varma|2010|pp=159–160}} A scene showing the massacre of Thakur's family has been compared with the massacre of the McBain family in ''Once Upon a Time in the West''.{{sfn|Heide|2002|p=52}} ''Sholay'' may have also been influenced by [[Sam Peckinpah]]'s Westerns, such as ''[[The Wild Bunch]]'' (1969) and ''[[Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid]]'' (1973), and [[George Roy Hill]]'s ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'' (1969).<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 June 2009 |title=Bollywood continues to lift from Hollywood scripts |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/bollywood-continues-to-lift-from-hollywood-scripts-news-bollywood-kkfrNmejhbc.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205195840/http://sify.com/movies/bollywood-continues-to-lift-from-hollywood-scripts-news-bollywood-kkfrNmejhbc.html |archive-date=5 December 2010 |access-date=22 December 2010 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref>

The character [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]] was modelled on a real-life dacoit [[Gabbar Singh Gujjar]] who had menaced the villages around [[Gwalior]] in the 1950s. Any policeman captured by Gujjar had his ears and nose cut off, and was released as a warning to other policemen.{{sfn|Khan|1981|pp=88–89, 98}}{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=26}} The fictional Gabbar was also influenced by larger-than-life characters in Pakistani author [[Ibn-e-Safi]]'s [[Urdu literature|Urdu novels]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2011 |title=Urdu pulp fiction: Where Gabbar Singh and Mogambo came from |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-urdu-pulp-fiction-where-gabbar-singh-and-mogambo-came-from-1564148 |access-date=3 June 2019 |archive-date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603155106/https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-urdu-pulp-fiction-where-gabbar-singh-and-mogambo-came-from-1564148 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dilip Kumar's dacoit character Gunga from the film ''Gunga Jumna'' who speaks with a similar mixed [[Kauravi dialect|Khariboli]] and [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] dialect,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chopra |first=Anupama |date=11 August 2015 |title=Shatrughan Sinha as Jai, Pran as Thakur and Danny as Gabbar? What 'Sholay' could have been |url=https://scroll.in/article/745687/shatrughan-sinha-as-jai-pran-as-thakur-and-danny-as-gabbar-what-sholay-could-have-been |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108092131/http://scroll.in/article/745687/shatrughan-sinha-as-jai-pran-as-thakur-and-danny-as-gabbar-what-sholay-could-have-been |archive-date=8 November 2015 |website=Scroll}}</ref> and villains from Sergio Leone's films.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=34}} Sippy wanted to do away with the clichéd idea of a man becoming a dacoit due to societal issues, as was the case in other films, and focused on Gabbar being an emblem of pure evil. To emphasise the point of Gabbar being a new type of villain, Sippy avoided the typical tropes of dacoits wearing [[dhoti]]s and [[Pagri (turban)|pagris]] and sporting a [[Tilaka|tika]] and worshipping "[[Bhavani|Ma Bhavani]]"; Gabbar would be wearing [[Military uniform|army fatigues]].{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=38}} The character of the jailer, played by [[Asrani]] was influenced by [[Adolf Hitler]]. Javed Akhtar brought a book on [[World War II]] which had several pictures of Hitler posing to set the typical posture of the character in the film. Asrani spiced up his character with some ideas about Hitler's speech delivery he had heard from a teacher in [[Film and Television Institute of India|FTII]]. The trademark 'Ha Ha' at the end of his monologues was inspired by a similar performance by [[Jack Lemmon]] in ''[[The Great Race]]''.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=37}}{{sfn|Banerjea|2005|p=183}} Soorma Bhopali, a minor [[comic relief]] character, was based on an acquaintance of actor Jagdeep, a forest officer from [[Bhopal]] named Soorma. The real-life Soorma eventually threatened to press charges when people who had viewed the film began referring to him as a woodcutter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2013 |title=How 'Soorma Bhopali' and 'Calendar' were created! |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/how-soorma-bhopali-and-calendar-were-created/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121104754/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/how-soorma-bhopali-and-calendar-were-created/ |archive-date=21 November 2016 |access-date=24 April 2013 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]]}}</ref> The main characters' names, Jai and Veeru, mean "victory" and "heroism" in Hindi.{{sfn|Hogan|2008|p=90}}

=== Casting ===
The producers considered [[Danny Denzongpa]] for the role of Gabbar Singh, but he could not accept it as he was committed to act in [[Feroz Khan (actor, born 1939)|Feroz Khan]]'s ''[[Dharmatma]]'' (1975), under production at the same time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 August 2008 |title=Danny Denzongpa's loss |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/did-you-know-/Danny-Denzongpas-loss/articleshow/3422978.cms |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113081159/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/did-you-know-/Danny-Denzongpas-loss/articleshow/3422978.cms |archive-date=13 November 2014}}</ref> Amjad Khan, who was the second choice, prepared himself for the part by reading the book ''Abhishapta Chambal'', which told of the exploits of [[Chambal division|Chambal]] dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, the father of fellow cast member Jaya Bhaduri.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=60}} Sanjeev Kumar also wanted to play the role of Gabbar Singh, but Salim-Javed "felt he had the audience's sympathy through roles he'd done before; Gabbar had to be completely hateful."<ref name="open" />

Sippy wanted [[Shatrughan Sinha]] to play the part of Jai, but there were already several big stars signed, and Amitabh Bachchan, who was not very popular yet, lobbied hard to get the part for himself.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} He was cast after Salim-Javed recommended him for ''Sholay'' in 1973; Bachchan's performance in their first collaboration, ''Zanjeer'', convinced Salim-Javed he was the right actor for the part.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=9789352140084 |page=93 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Salim-Javed were also impressed with Bachchan's performance in ''[[Raaste Kaa Patthar]]'' (1972), and at Bachchan's request, Dharmendra had personally put in a word for him. All these factors ensured that the role was Bachchan's.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=31}}

As cast members had read the script ahead of time, many were interested in playing different parts. [[Pran (actor)|Pran]] was considered for the role of Thakur Baldev Singh, but Sippy thought Sanjeev Kumar was a better choice.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=31–32}} Initially, Salim-Javed approached [[Dilip Kumar]] to play Thakur's role, but he turned down the offer; Dilip Kumar later said it was one of the few films he regretted turning down.<ref name="open" /> Initially, Dharmendra was also interested to play the role of Thakur. He eventually gave up the role when Sippy informed him that Sanjeev Kumar would play Veeru if that happened, and would thus be paired with Hema Malini, who Dharmendra was trying to woo. Dharmendra knew that Kumar was also interested in Malini.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=35–36}} Malini was reluctant to play the role of a ''tangewali'', more so after Sippy told her that the film belongs to Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan, but she trusted Sippy to give her a meaty role, given that he had played a huge role in essaying her stardom through their previous collaborations.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=30}}

During the film's production, four of the leads became romantically involved.<ref name="rediff1" /> Bachchan married Bhaduri four months before filming started. This led to shooting delays when Bhaduri became pregnant with their daughter [[Shweta Bachchan Nanda|Shweta]]. By the time the film released, she was pregnant with their son [[Abhishek Bachchan|Abhishek]]. Dharmendra had begun courting Malini during their earlier film ''[[Seeta Aur Geeta]]'' (1972), also directed by Sippy, and used the location shoot of ''Sholay'' to further pursue her. During their romantic scenes, Dharmendra would often pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring many retakes which would allow him to spend more time with her. The couple married five years after the film's release.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=91–105}}

=== Filming ===
[[File:Ramdevarabetta.jpg|thumb|Ramdevarabetta, near the town of [[Ramanagara]]; much of ''Sholay'' was shot in rocky locations such as this.|alt=A rocky outcrop such as those used in filming Sholay]]

Much of ''Sholay'' was shot in the rocky terrain of [[Ramanagara]], a town near [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prabhu |first=Nagesh |date=29 August 2019 |title=The hills around Bengaluru are alive with the sound of tourists |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/the-hills-around-bengaluru-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-tourists/article29292458.ece |access-date=3 February 2020 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203014051/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/the-hills-around-bengaluru-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-tourists/article29292458.ece |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 June 2007 |title=Ramgarh of Sholay to become district |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Ramgarh-of-Sholay-to-become-district/articleshow/2140172.cms? |url-status=live |access-date=23 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013005634/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Ramgarh-of-Sholay-to-become-district/articleshow/2140172.cms |archive-date=13 October 2015}}</ref> The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagara for convenient access to the sets.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=45}} Art director Ram Yedekar had an entire township built on the site. A prison set was constructed near [[Rajkamal Studios]] in [[Bombay]], also outdoors, to match the natural lighting of the on-location sets.{{sfn|Roy|2003|p=225}} One part of Ramanagara was for a time called "Sippy Nagar" as a tribute to the director of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 December 1999 |title='We are not remaking ''Sholay''...' |url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/1999/dec/30sholay.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021153903/http://www.rediff.com/entertai/1999/dec/30sholay.htm |archive-date=21 October 2013 |access-date=20 April 2013 |publisher=Rediff}}</ref> {{As of|2010}}, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where much of the film was shot) was still being offered to tourists travelling through Ramanagara.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mekkad |first=Salil |date=19 June 2010 |title=Sholay ka Ramgarh |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/sholay-ka-ramgarh/story-wFY6D54CpoRCtuqPKhk2LL.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005114908/http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/sholay-ka-ramgarh/story-wFY6D54CpoRCtuqPKhk2LL.html |archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref>

Filming began on location on 3 October 1973, with a scene featuring Bachchan and Bhaduri.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=64}} The film had a lavish production for its time (with frequent banquets and parties for the cast),{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=66–67}} took two and a half years to make, and went over budget. One reason for its high cost was that Sippy re-filmed scenes many times to get his desired effect. "Yeh Dosti", a 5-minute song sequence, took 21&nbsp;days to shoot, two short scenes in which Radha lights lamps took 20&nbsp;days to film because of lighting problems, and the shooting of the scene in which Gabbar kills the imam's son lasted 19&nbsp;days.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=77–79}} The train robbery sequence, shot on the [[Mumbai–Pune Shatabdi Express|Bombay–Poona railway]] route near [[Panvel]], took more than 7&nbsp;weeks to complete.<ref>{{Cite news |last=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]] |date=4 August 2010 |title=Sholay continues to smoulder |work=Pune Mirror |url=http://punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=20100804201008040006534547ec622a7&sectxslt=&pageno=1 |access-date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311160806/http://punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=20100804201008040006534547ec622a7&sectxslt=&pageno=1 |archive-date=11 March 2012}}</ref>

''Sholay'' was the first Indian film to have a [[Stereophonic sound|stereophonic]] soundtrack and to use the [[70 mm film|70&nbsp;mm]] [[widescreen]] format.<ref name="ndtv" /> However, since actual 70&nbsp;mm cameras were expensive at the time, the film was shot on traditional [[35 mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm film]] and the [[4:3|4:3 picture]] was subsequently converted to a 2.2:1 frame.<ref name="DVD" /> Regarding the process, Sippy said, "A 70&nbsp;mm ''[sic]'' format takes the awe of the big screen and magnifies it even more to make the picture even bigger, but since I also wanted a spread of sound we used six-track stereophonic sound and combined it with the big screen. It was definitely a differentiator."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raghavendra |first=Nandini |date=10 April 2010 |title=3D effect: Back to 70&nbsp;mm screens? |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/3d-effect-back-to-70mm-screens/articleshow/5780184.cms |url-status=live |access-date=30 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213005654/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/3d-effect-back-to-70mm-screens/articleshow/5780184.cms |archive-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> The use of 70&nbsp;mm was emphasised by film posters on which the name of the film was stylised to match the [[CinemaScope]] logo. Film posters also sought to differentiate the film from those which had come before; one of them added the [[tagline]]: "The greatest star cast ever assembled&nbsp;– the greatest story ever told".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mazumdar, Ranjani |title=The Man Who Was Seen Too Much: Amitabh Bachchan on Film Posters (The Poster As Preview) |url=http://www.tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/essay/106/index_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512142358/http://www.tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/essay/106/index_1.html |archive-date=12 May 2015 |access-date=9 May 2013 |publisher=Tasveer Ghar}}</ref>

=== Alternate version ===
The [[director's cut]] of ''Sholay'' has a different ending in which Thakur kicks Gabbar onto a nail on one of the two poles that Gabbar had used to chain Thakur when he had cut off his arms, stabbing him in the back and killing him, along with some additional violent scenes. Thakur's shoe soles getting armed with spikes, Gabbar's death scene, and the scene in which the imam's son is killed, were cut from the film by India's [[Central Board of Film Certification|Censor Board]], as was the scene in which Thakur's family is massacred.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=77–79}} The Censor Board was concerned about the violence, and that viewers may be influenced to violate the law by punishing people severely.<ref name="ending" /> Although Sippy fought to keep the scenes, eventually he had to re-shoot the ending of the film, and as directed by the Censor Board, have the police arrive just before Thakur can kill Gabbar.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prabhakar, Jyothi |date=28 April 2013 |title=Changed 'Sholay' climax because of the Censor Board: Ramesh Sippy |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Changed-Sholay-climax-because-of-the-Censor-Board-Ramesh-Sippy/articleshow/19754678.cms? |url-status=live |access-date=5 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817120148/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Changed-Sholay-climax-because-of-the-Censor-Board-Ramesh-Sippy/articleshow/19754678.cms |archive-date=17 August 2015}}</ref> The censored theatrical version was the only one seen by audiences for fifteen years. The original, unedited cut of the film finally came out in a British release on [[VHS]] in 1990.<ref name="DVD" /> Since then, [[Eros International]] has released two versions on DVD. The director's cut of the film preserves the original full frame and is 204&nbsp;minutes in length; the censored widescreen version is 198&nbsp;minutes long.<ref name="Runtime" /><ref name="DVD" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 February 2001 |title=Sholay DVD review :: zulm.net :: definitive indian dvd guide |url=http://www.zulm.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=103&mode=&order=0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811131134/http://www.zulm.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=103&mode=&order=0 |archive-date=11 August 2012 |access-date=3 July 2013 |publisher=zulm.net}}</ref>{{efn|name=runtime|The [[British Board of Film Classification]] (BBFC) notes three running times of ''Sholay''. The version that was submitted in film format to BBFC had a running time of 198 minutes. A video version of this had a running time of 188 minutes. BBFC notes that "When a film is transferred to video the running time will be shorter by approximately 4% due to the differing number of frames per second. This does not mean that the video version has been cut or re-edited." The director's cut was 204 minutes long.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2012 |title=''Sholay'' |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/c2fb077ba3f9b33980256b4f002da32c/cde1a8bb41dd72ca8025660b0006032d?OpenDocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021153210/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/c2fb077ba3f9b33980256b4f002da32c/cde1a8bb41dd72ca8025660b0006032d?OpenDocument |archive-date=21 October 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013 |publisher=British Board of Film Classification}}</ref>}}