Never imagined ‘Sholay’ would receive so much love, success: director Ramesh Sippy

The filmmaker attended a special screening of his 1975 blockbuster, which completes five decades of its release this year, at Jaipur’s Raj Mandir Cinema on the sidelines of the 2025 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards here.

Regarded as one of the greatest Hindi films of all time, Sholay featured Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Jaya Bachchan. Penned by Salim-Javed, the movie was released on August 15, 1975.

“Even after 50 years of ‘Sholay’, we are celebrating it, and people are still coming to see it. It’s proof enough that people loved the film, and loved it for everything that was in it. From the story, dialogues, emotions, action, adventure, performances, everything…

“I definitely had a feeling that we are going out to make something really good. But, I never imagined the kind of love, appreciation, and success it would receive. But stepping into it was definitely with a purpose of trying to make something which had not been made before. I didn’t know how far I would get,” Sippy told reporters at a post-screening press conference.

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The director credited his cast and crew for helping him realise his vision of Sholay. “I had a lot of wonderful people working with me, from star cast to technicians to the entire staff, each and every member of the staff who looked after not just the technical side, just even picking up stones and looking after the horses… Everyone mattered. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to put together such a difficult film. It just grew by itself.

Asked what was his greatest learning as a storyteller, Sippy said if the story is not right, a film would never work. “If we forget we are telling a story, we’re going to fail miserably… The heart of a film is the story. The main characters help in telling that story, coming together and exchanging emotions,” he added.

Director Sooraj Barjatya, who was also present at the event, said the only aspect of filmmaking that has changed is the way of storytelling.

“I think only that has changed and nothing else, because you take the example of Raj Mandir, it’s been 50 years. It is still here, and it will remain. Similarly, today, people remember sir with ‘Sholay’ or remember me with ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’, so why are these films alive? They are alive because of some values.” Sippy agreed, saying the common factor between “Sholay” and “Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!” is emotions.

“That’s a family film with songs, mine was an action-adventure film, but also with songs and a lot of life. The emotion of friendship, the death of a friend… These are all the emotional sides of it, so you cannot just call ‘Sholay’ an action film… What we all cannot do without is emotions and relationships,” he added.

Sippy said if he were to make a film today, it would be “something fresh” that excites him, something like what Barjatya did with 2023’s Uunchai.

The veteran filmmaker, also known for directing films such as Seeta Aur Geeta, Shaan, and Shakti, also weighed in on the theatres versus streamers debate.

Sippy, who co-directed the 1980s popular TV soap opera Buniyaad with Jyoti Sarup, said the first time that the theatres faced that sort of challenge was from television.

“Television is no less important today, but has it taken away the cinema? It has not. This beautiful cinema we sit in is the other side of the story… As far as OTT, it’s a newer version of television, better quality, and a more paying (avenue) today because of technology.

“It is more relevant to youngsters, but I think the blend of cinema and television will always be there. They’ll not be fighting each other unnecessarily. You see different kinds of films from home, but today even OTT is carrying very strong content… The coexistence of all these has to be there.”