It is not easy to imagine that a timeless and iconic film such as Sholay would have been built on a different foundation. Witnessing Jai and Veeru as small-time crooks who turn their life around by taking on a heroic task, it came to be seen as a film filled with inspiration, which showcased the bonds of friendship.
But the final product was not what co-writer Salim Khan had envisioned. Jai and Veeru were not thieves, but former army men sacked for indiscipline. In a conversation with PTI, Khan’s writing partner Javed Akhtar recalled, “It was Salim sahab's idea that we should make a film about a retired major and two recruits from the army who have been removed because of indiscipline.”
So what stopped them from pursuing this angle? Akhtar said there were certain technicalities they could not get past. “We had limitations from the army, and we couldn't take liberty, hence we changed the characters to a cop and (two) hoodlums," he said.
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Two other characters were also late additions to the film—Radha and Basanti, Jai and Veeru’s love interests. "At that point, we didn't think of Basanti or Radha, we just had a dacoit in mind. But gradually, when the story got developed, a lot of characters came into the picture, and we felt it could be a great multi-starrer. We did not plan it as a multi-starrer, and a grand spectacle," he added.
Sholay, helmed by Ramesh Sippy, celebrates 50 years since its 1975 release. The film features Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini. Though Sholay was first considered a flop, it slowly earned rave reviews and began cementing its status as an enduring cinematic milestone.
