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Sholay completed 50 years earlier this year. Needless to say, it remains a timeless classic, one that continues to grow in stature with every passing year. What makes the film equally fascinating, however, are the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding its making, many of which are as compelling and dramatic as the film itself. One such story is veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha’s long-standing claim that he was originally offered the role of Jai but was unable to do the film due to scheduling conflicts. Shatrughan has repeatedly described this as one of the biggest regrets of his life, so much so that he recently revealed in a conversation with Aaj Tak that he has never watched Sholay because of the regret associated with missing out on it. Explaining his reasons, he said:
“I have not watched Sholay. There are one or two films that I have never seen because of my own guilt and remorse. Due to certain unavoidable circumstances, I could not do Sholay. The makers really wanted me to be a part of it, and even Ramesh Sippy has written in his book that he wanted Shatrughan Sinha. I am, however, very happy that the role went to a great artist, a national icon, Amitabh Bachchan. Sholay gave him such a massive platform, and he is a very good friend of mine. We have known each other since our struggling days, so I was genuinely happy for him.”
In the same conversation, Shatrughan added that he was also initially considered for Shakti, another collaboration between Ramesh Sippy and Salim–Javed, starring Dilip Kumar Amitabh Bachchan. According to him, the film was based on a play that was introduced to him by Shivaji Ganesan, but that project, too, did not materialise for him. However, offering a contrasting perspective, filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, in a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, dismissed Shatrughan’s claim. The filmmaker stated that he was unsure why Shatrughan Sinha believed he had turned down Sholay, asserting that the actor was never formally offered the role.
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Sippy said, “We never approached him. Yes, I did think about him for the role, but by then he had already become a star. I had already cast multiple stars, and I was worried that having too many stars would overpower me as a director. I felt that managing so many egos could become difficult, so I avoided casting another star to ensure smoother execution of the film.” When asked whether Sholay would have had the same impact had Shatrughan Sinha played the role instead of Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy responded, “It’s difficult to say. We never know what would have happened. But Amitabh Bachchan’s impact is unparalleled. It’s impossible to imagine that role having the same effect with someone else.”
Adding another layer to the story, late legendary actor Dharmendra once admitted in an old India TV interview that it was he who helped Amitabh Bachchan secure his role in Sholay. He acknowledged that this decision did not go down well with Shatrughan Sinha, who even confronted him about it. Dharmendra said, “I never spoke about it earlier, but since Amitabh himself has started talking about it, I’ll admit it. Yes, I got him the role. Amitabh used to come to me regarding this part. Otherwise, it was supposed to go to Shatrughan Sinha.”
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