Big B, Dharmendra's 'Sholay' to have world premiere of restored cut in Italy

Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) As the Bollywood classic “Sholay”, which stars Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra will be feted with a 50th anniversary tribute when its fully restored, uncut version gets its world premiere at Italy’s Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival on June 27.

“Some things in life remain permanently etched in your mind. ‘Sholay’ is one such film,” said Bachchan, reports variety.com.

He added: “Shooting for the film was an unforgettable experience, but 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.”

Dharmendra said ‘Sholay’ is 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,” Dharmendra said.

He added: “Few people know that I was offered the role of Gabbar and Thakur, but I was clear that I wanted to play the role of Veeru as he is so much like me. I had so much fun on the shoot.”

“My favourite scenes were the tanki [water tank] 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.”

The 1975 Ramesh Sippy’s directorial will unspool on the festival’s massive open-air screen in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore, marking the first time audiences will see the original ending and previously deleted scenes that were cut from the widely distributed theatrical version, reports variety.com.

Written by the legendary duo Salim-Javed, “Sholay” follows former police officer Thakur Baldev Singh, who hires two small-time rogues Veeru and Jai to capture the notorious dacoit Gabbar Singh, who terrorizes the village of Ramgarh.

The story blends action, thriller, revenge drama, comedy, romance and tragedy, all underscored by R.D. Burman’s musical score. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan.

The restoration, a three-year collaboration between Film Heritage Foundation and Sippy Films Pvt. Ltd., brings the multi-starrer back to its intended form. The film has been hailed as the greatest Indian film ever made in a 2002 British Film Institute poll and named “Film of the Millennium” by BBC India in 1999.

“It has taken us three years, but we were able to find the original ending and some deleted scenes that the world will see for the first time at the grand premiere,” said producer Shehzad Sippy of Sippy Films.

“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 G.P. Sippy.”

The technical restoration proved complex, with materials sourced from both Mumbai warehouses and London’s Iron Mountain facility. The team even consulted veteran cinematographer Kamlakar Rao, who had worked on the original film, to determine the proper 2.2:1 aspect ratio for the 70mm-intended picture.

--IANS

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