'Sholay' was declared a flop initially, reveals director Ramesh Sippy
What's the story
The 1975 blockbuster Sholay, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and was re-released in theaters with its original ending, had a tumultuous start. In a recent podcast interview with Siddharth Kannan, director Ramesh Sippy revealed that the film's budget became a major talking point during production and release. "Newspapers declared Sholay a flop," he said.
Budget concerns
'Sholay' was initially a financial risk
Sippy revealed that trade experts were worried about the film's budget, which ballooned from ₹1 crore to ₹3 crore. They feared this would ruin the industry. "They wrote that the investment was too high, that the makers would never recover it." "They even claimed that such expensive films would destroy the industry," Sippy said during his interview.
Industry reaction
'Sholay' faced initial backlash but later turned into a blockbuster
Despite the initial backlash, Sholay went on to become a massive success. "Five weeks later, they took back their words and admitted they were wrong," Sippy added. The director also revealed that only writers Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan remained confident about the film's success amid all the criticism.
Censorship issues
'Sholay' faced censorship challenges during production
Sippy also revealed that Sholay faced several challenges due to the censor board's interventions. "I had to reshoot the climax because of the censor board. They said, 'Sanjeev Kumar is playing a police officer...how can he take someone's [Gabbar's] life?'" The director had to go back to Bangalore and shoot the climax all over again, changing Gabbar's death scene to his arrest.
Film's return
'Sholay' re-releases with original ending after 50 years
Fifty years later, Sholay has returned to theaters with its original ending. "In the re-release, we will show you the original ending. I felt terrible when they asked me to change it. Why should the censor tell me how to make my film?" he concluded. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Amjad Khan in lead roles.