What can I tell you about Sholay that you don't already know?

On the 35th anniversary of India's favourite experience, there is precious little one can say about it that has not been said already.
But I will do it nevertheless. More so, because it is an attempt to bring together a few of my favourite pieces on the film. This post is more like a link-dump for me to come back to.


Everybody always talks to Javed Akhtar - and ends up giving credit as well - for the films that were written along with Salim Khan. For a change, Open magazine reaches out to the man before the hyphen and asks him about the Greatest Story Ever Written.
And we are reminded of the scene in Andaz Apna Apna where Salman Khan's character says, "Maine Sholay pachchees baar dekha hain..." and Aamir Khan's character retorts, "Haan, tere baap ne jo likkha hain..."

It is said that Amitabh Bachchan badly wanted to play Gabbar Singh when he heard the script. His ambition was fulfilled nearly thirty years later. And the entire country wished that it hadn't!
Ramgopal Verma managed to create the perfect Anti-Sholay with a film that has gone on to become the benchmark of Bad Films just as the original was a millstone around Ramesh Sippy's neck. But Ramu being Ramu, manages to pontificate on how his failure is better than many people's successes. And writes on how Sholay will never Aage.

The village 40 kilometers outside of Bangalore was made so famous by the film that it became the focus of media attention (as much possible without OB vans and portable cameras) and tourist visits.
This piece is a mix of both as a fan visits Ramgarh - and the ending is a killer.

A neat quiz from the people who have - well - a passion for cinema. The quality of questions is a bit uneven but hey, you get perfection only once.
Strangely, it has no reference to FACT manure.

And to end, I will slyly add two of my old posts. 
One - about the endless spoofs of the film.
And two - a favourite post of mine written exactly 10 years ago and uploaded on this blog when I started. Very badly written but still...