Sholay is considered Indian cinema’s iconic masterpiece that continues to resonate with audiences worldwide as it is one of Bollywood’s greatest blockbusters. The movie has been lauded for its performances, unforgettable songs and gripping story. Over the years, the Ramesh Sippy directorial has garnered numerous honours. Meanwhile, the dialogue “Kitne aadmi the?” said by Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh can’t be forgotten by the true fans of the iconic film. Surprisingly, the late actor wasn’t the sole contender for the role, as 70s superstars Danny Denzongpa and Ranjeet were also considered for the character during the casting process.
In an ANI interview, Ranjeet shared his decision to turn down the opportunity to star in Sholay out of respect for his friendship with Danny.
The Amar Akbar Anthony actor said, “When they came to me, they told me that Danny would not come now. In fact, I had no idea about the role as well. I clearly told them, ‘Danny is a good friend of mine. Either you get me no objection letter from him or at least let him talk to me. If he agrees, then I will do the film.’ But I knew why he was not coming and I refused to be a part of the film. This role was destined for Amjad Khan. Ho sakta hai main Gabbar karta toh shayad audience ko nahi acha lagta. (It’s possible that if I played the role of Gabbar, maybe the audience wouldn’t have liked it).”
All these years, the bond between Danny Denzongpa and Ranjeet has only grown stronger. Ranjeet often shares glimpses of their bond by uploading pictures and videos on various social media platforms. Both actors have left their mark in Bollywood with their powerful and intimidating performances in classic Bollywood movies.
Directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay stars Dharmendra as Veeru, while Amitabh Bachchan plays Jai. Their characters are hired by a retired police officer, portrayed by Sanjeev Kumar, to catch the cruel dacoit, Gabbar Singh. Alongside them, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan play the love interests of Veeru and Jai, respectively. Hema plays Basanti, while Jaya plays the character of Radha.
Meanwhile, BBC India honoured the movie as the Film of the Millennium in 1999, while Time magazine included it in their Best of Bollywood list in 2010. Recently, in 2023, Time Out ranked it as the top film among the 100 Best Bollywood Movies.
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