Sholay’s restored version to have its world premiere in Italy on Friday

Describing “shooting for the film was an unforgettable experience,” Amitabh Bachchan states, “At the time I had no idea that it would be a watershed for Indian cinema. Its dramatic change in fortunes from being declared an unsuccessful venture, to its record-breaking box office run was an emotional rollercoaster for all of us…I hope that even 50 years later, the film will capture the imagination of new audiences across the world.” His statement was shared in a press note regarding the film’s world premiere and restoration.

Sholay’s stellar cast also included Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini. (Photo: Sippy Films)

The other leading actor of Sholay, Dharmendra calls it “the eighth wonder of the world”. “I am thrilled to hear that the film is being restored and I am sure it will have the same success as it had 50 years ago. Who can forget the dialogues of Salim-Javed and the direction of Ramesh Sippy? So many scenes have gone down in the history of Indian cinema and every character became a star. But the real hero was the coin…My favourite scenes were the tanki scene, the scene in the temple, and so many others, but the most powerful scene I feel was the death of Jai, which is still etched in my mind,” says Dharmendra. The film’s stellar cast also included Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini.

Shehzad Sippy, producer, Sippy Films states that even though the restoration has taken three years, they were happy to find the original ending and some deleted scenes that the world will see for the first time at the grand premiere at the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna. “It’s been a labour of love to resurrect the film and this is a tribute to the vision and the legacy of my grandfather GP Sippy. I can’t wait for ‘Sholay’ to begin its new lease of life,” he says in the press note.

Talking about the long and complex restoration process of Sholay, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation says: “Despite the fact that we could not use the original camera negative and that not a single 70mm print survives, we have left no stone unturned to ensure that this historic film has been beautifully restored. I can’t wait to watch the film in the open air in the Piazza in Bologna along with thousands of cinephiles from around the world.”