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Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, who helmed Bollywood’s most iconic film Sholay, recently shared several anecdotes from the making of the cult classic. The director admitted that late legendary actor Dharmendra, who played the role of Veeru in the film, initially wanted to play the negative role of Gabbar Singh–which was eventually portrayed by Amjad Khan. Ramesh Sippy revealed that he had to resort to a unique way to convince Dharmendra to play Veeru instead.
Speaking to News18, Ramesh said, “When Dharmendra heard the whole script, he said, ‘My role is good, but the story is of Sanjeev Kumar. Should I not be playing Sanjeev Kumar?’ I told him, ‘Yes you can, it’s a good role, it is his story.’ Then he told me, ‘Amjad is so colourful, the way his character has been conceived, it is very engaging.’ I said, ‘Yes anyone would love to play Gabbar, but your role is for you. In the long run, you will feel that this role has gotten everything in it.”
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Ramesh also shared another anecdote from the film and recalled how Hema Malini danced barefoot on scorching hot rocks during the shoot. He said, “In the climax scene, Hemaji had to dance on the rocks, which were very, very hot. For her protection, I suggested that she wears some pads underneath her feet. She did that, but those pads were seen in the camera and the DOP said how can I have this. So, Hemaji said remove the pads. She was also brave enough to do that.”
When asked about Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s on-screen romance and whether Dharmendra would bribe the light-man to make mistakes so that he could spend more time with Hema Malini during retakes, Ramesh clarified the rumour while confirming the chemistry. He said, “It is not like that, but the story is correct. He would take a little time, let it be a little longer all that it is true, but the magic had begun during the making. He even came to me towards the end of the film and told me that they are together, and that was a wonderful revelation.”
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