View source for Sholay

{{short description|1975 Indian film by Ramesh Sippy}}
{{hatnote group|
{{other uses|Sholay (1984 film)|Sholay: The Making of a Classic}}
{{distinguish|Shola (disambiguation)}}
}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Sholay
| image          = Sholay-poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Ramesh Sippy]]
| producer       = [[G. P. Sippy]]
| writer         = [[Salim–Javed]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dharmendra]]
* [[Sanjeev Kumar]]
* [[Hema Malini]]
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]]
* [[Jaya Bhaduri]]
* [[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]]
}}
| music          = [[R. D. Burman]]
| cinematography = [[Dwarka Divecha]]
| editing        = [[M. S. Shinde]]
| studio         = United Producers<br />[[G. P. Sippy|Sippy Films]]
| distributor    = Sippy Films
| released       = {{Film date|1975|8|15|df=yes}}
| runtime        = 204 minutes (Original version)<br />198 minutes (Theatrical version)
| country        = India
| language       = Hindi
| budget         = {{INR|30 million|link=yes}}{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=143}}
| gross          = {{Estimation}} {{INR|350 million}} (India)<ref name="indiatoday" /> <br/> 250 million tickets (worldwide)<ref name="indiatoday1985" />
| native_name    =
}}

'''''Sholay''''' ({{IPA|hns|ˈʃoːleː|lang|Sholay pronunciation.ogg}}, {{translation|'Embers'}}) is a 1975 Indian [[Epic film|epic]] [[action-adventure film]] directed by [[Ramesh Sippy]], produced by his father [[G. P. Sippy]], and written by [[Salim–Javed]]. The film follows two criminals, Veeru ([[Dharmendra]]) and Jai ([[Amitabh Bachchan]]), who are hired by a retired police officer ([[Sanjeev Kumar]]) to capture the ruthless [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]] ([[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]]). [[Hema Malini]] and [[Jaya Bhaduri]] also star as Veeru and Jai's love interests, Basanti and Radha, respectively. The soundtrack was composed by [[R D Burman]].

The film was shot in the rocky terrain of [[Ramanagara]], in the [[South India|southern]] state of [[Karnataka]], over a span of two and a half years, beginning in October 1973. After the [[Central Board of Film Certification]] mandated the removal of several violent scenes, ''Sholay'' was released as a 198-minute long film. In 1990, the original [[director's cut]] of 204&nbsp;minutes became available on home media. When first released, ''Sholay'' received negative critical reviews and a tepid commercial response, but favourable [[Word of mouth|word-of-mouth]] publicity helped it to become a box office success. It broke records for continuous showings in many theatres across India, and ran for more than five years at Mumbai's Minerva theatre. The film was also an [[List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets|overseas success]] in the [[Soviet Union]]. It was the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|highest-grossing Indian film]] ever at the time, and was the [[List of highest-grossing films in India|highest-grossing film in India]] up until ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!]]'' (1994). By numerous accounts, ''Sholay'' remains one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, adjusted for inflation.

''Sholay'' is often regarded as [[List of films considered the best#National polls|one of the greatest and most influential Indian films of all time]]. It was ranked first in the [[British Film Institute]]'s 2002 poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. In 2005, the judges of the [[50th Filmfare Awards]] named it the [[Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years|Best Film of 50 Years]]. The film is a [[Dacoit Western]] (sometimes called a "[[Curry Western]]"), combining the conventions of Indian [[dacoit film]]s with that of [[Spaghetti Western]]s along with elements of [[Samurai cinema]]. ''Sholay'' is also a defining example of the [[masala film]], which mixes several genres in one work. Scholars have noted several themes in the film, such as [[Heroic bloodshed|glorification of violence]], conformation to [[Indian feudalism]], debate between [[social order]] and mobilised usurpers, [[homosocial]] bonding, and the film's role as a [[National personification|national allegory]]. The combined sales of the original soundtrack, scored by [[R. D. Burman]], and the dialogues (released separately), set new sales records. The film's dialogue and certain characters became extremely popular, contributing to numerous cultural [[meme]]s and becoming part of India's daily [[vernacular]]. In January 2014, ''Sholay'' was re-released to theatres in the [[3D film|3D format]].

== Plot ==
Jai and Veeru are small-time crooks who are released from prison, where they are recruited by a former [[police Inspector|Inspector]] [[Thakur (title)|Thakur]] Baldev Singh to capture a notorious [[dacoit]] named Gabbar Singh wanted for {{INR|50000}},{{efn|name=exchange|The exchange rate in 1975 was 8.94 Indian rupees ({{INR}}) per 1 US dollar (US$).{{sfn|Statistical Abstract of the United States|1977|p=917}}}} as the duo had saved Thakur from a train robbery which makes Thakur to recruit them for the mission with an additional {{INR|20000}} reward. The duo leave for Thakur's village in [[Chambal (region)|Ramgarh]], where Gabbar is residing and terrorising the villagers.

After reaching Ramgarh, Veeru falls for Basanti, a feisty talkative [[Driving (horse)|horse-cart driver]]. Jai meets Thakur's widowed daughter-in-law Radha and falls for her, who later reciprocates his feelings. The two thwart Gabbar's dacoits, who came to extort money. During the festival of [[Holi]], Gabbar's gang attacks the villagers where they corner Jai and Veeru, but the duo manage to attack and chase them away from the village. The duo are upset at Thakur's inaction (when Jai and Veeru were cornered, Thakur had a gun within his reach, but did not help them) and consider calling off the mission. Thakur reveals that a few years ago, Gabbar had killed his family members (except Radha and Ramlal), and had both his arms cut off; he concealed the [[dismemberment]] by always wearing a [[shawl]], which was the sole reason he could not use the gun.

Seeing how much Thakur has suffered, Jai and Veeru took pity by taking an oath that they will capture Gabbar alive, free of charge. After learning the duo's heroics, Gabbar kills the local [[imam]] Rahim Chacha's son Ahmed, all to threaten the villagers to make Jai and Veeru surrender to him. The villagers refuse and instead get the duo to kill a few of Gabbar's [[Henchman|henchmen]] in revenge for the boy's death. Gabbar angrily retaliates by having his men capture Veeru and Basanti. Jai arrives and attacks the hideout, where the trio are able to flee Gabbar's hideout with dacoits in pursuit. Shooting from behind a rock, Jai and Veeru nearly run out of [[ammunition]]. Unaware that Jai was wounded in the [[Shootout|gunfight]], Veeru is forced to leave for more ammunition and also to drop Basanti at a safe place.

Jai sacrifices himself by using his last bullet to ignite [[dynamite|dynamite sticks]] on a bridge from close range, killing Gabbar's men. Veeru returns, and Jai dies, leaving Radha and Veeru devastated. Enraged, Veeru attacks Gabbar's den and kills his remaining men where he catches Gabbar and nearly beats him to death. Thakur appears and reminds Veeru of the vow to hand over Gabbar alive. Thakur uses his [[Track spikes|spike]]-soled shoes to severely injure Gabbar and his hands. The police arrive and arrest Gabbar for his crimes. After Jai's funeral, Veeru leaves Ramgarh and finds Basanti waiting for him on the train.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Dharmendra]] as Veeru
* [[Sanjeev Kumar]] as [[Thakur (title)|Thakur]] Baldev Singh, a retired Police Officer
* [[Hema Malini]] as Basanti, Veeru's love interest
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as Jaidev "Jai"
* [[Jaya Bhaduri]] as Radha, Thakur's daughter-in-law and Jai's love interest 
* [[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]] as [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]], a wanted [[dacoit]].
* [[A. K. Hangal]] as Rahim Chacha, the [[imam]] in the village
* [[Satyen Kappu]] as Ram Lal, Thakur's servant
* [[Iftekhar]] as [[Inspector]] Khurana, Radha's Father
* [[Leela Mishra]] as Mausi, Basanti's maternal aunt
* [[Vikas Anand]] as Jailor
* [[Mac Mohan]] as Sambha, Gabbar Singh's sidekick
* [[Keshto Mukherjee]] as Hariram, prison barber and Jailor's side-kick
* [[Sachin (actor)|Sachin Pilgaonkar]] as Ahmed, son of the imam
* [[Viju Khote]] as Kaalia, another of Gabbar's men whom he kills in a game of [[Russian roulette]]
* [[Arvind Joshi]] as elder son of Thakur Baldev Singh<ref>{{Cite news |title=Sharman Joshi father Arvind Joshi workedin Amitabh Bachchan-Dharmendra Sholay |publisher=TimesNowHindi.com |url=https://www.timesnowhindi.com/entertainment/bollywood/article/sharman-joshi-father-arvind-joshi-worked-in-amitabh-bachchan-dharmendra-sholay/290925 |access-date=12 October 2020 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122125347/https://www.timesnowhindi.com/entertainment/bollywood/article/sharman-joshi-father-arvind-joshi-worked-in-amitabh-bachchan-dharmendra-sholay/290925 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Raj Kishore]] as a jail inmate with gayish mannerisms<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sarkar |first=Suparno |date=6 April 2018 |title=Sholay actor Raj Kishore latest among Bollywood celebs who died in 2018 |work=International Business Times |location=India |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/sholay-actor-raj-kishore-passes-away-85-766026 |url-status=live |access-date=6 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406160230/https://www.ibtimes.co.in/sholay-actor-raj-kishore-passes-away-85-766026 |archive-date=6 April 2018}}</ref>
* [[Asrani]] as the [[Prison officer|Jailor]], a comical character modelled after [[Charlie Chaplin]] in ''[[The Great Dictator]]''{{sfn|Banerjee|Srivastava|1988|pp=166–169}}
* [[Gita Siddharth]] as Geeta, Thakur Baldev Singh's daughter in law<ref>{{Cite news |title=Parichay And Sholay Actor Gita Siddharth Kak Passes Away |publisher=India.com |url=https://www.india.com/entertainment/parichay-and-sholay-actor-gita-siddharth-kak-passes-away-3878236/ |access-date=12 October 2020 |archive-date=14 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014034125/https://www.india.com/entertainment/parichay-and-sholay-actor-gita-siddharth-kak-passes-away-3878236/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Helen (actress)|Helen]] in a special appearance in song "Mehbooba Mehbooba"
* [[Jagdeep]] as Soorma Bhopali, a comical wood trader
* [[Jalal Agha]] in a special appearance in song "Mehbooba Mehbooba"
* [[Om Shivpuri]] as a police officer investigating Gabbar's attack in  the village. 
*Horse as Dhanno<ref>{{cite web |title=Dhanno to Tuffy: Showstealer animals in Bollywood movies |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/dhanno-to-tuffy-showstealer-animals-in-bollywood-movies/photostory/99388026.cms |website=The Times of India |date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
* Sharad Kumar as Ninni, younger son of Thakur Baldev Singh<ref>{{Cite news |title=Biography: Sharad Kumar |publisher=Amazon.com |url=https://www.amazon.com/prime-video/actor/Sharad-Kumar/nm0474886/ |access-date=12 October 2020 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022104355/https://www.amazon.com/prime-video/actor/Sharad-Kumar/nm0474886/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
The screenwriter pair [[Salim–Javed]], consisting of [[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]], began narrating the idea for ''Sholay'' as a four-line snippet to filmmakers in 1973.<ref name="open" />{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} The idea was rejected by two producer/director teams, including directors [[Manmohan Desai]] and [[Prakash Mehra]].{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} About six months after the release of ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973),{{efn|name=Zanjeer|Salim-Javed won their first [[Filmfare Awards]] for ''Zanjeer'': [[Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay]] and [[Filmfare Award for Best Story|Best Story]] in [[21st Filmfare Awards|1974]].}} Salim-Javed contacted [[G. P. Sippy]] and his son [[Ramesh Sippy]],<ref name="open" /> and narrated the four-line snippet to them.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} Ramesh Sippy liked the concept of ''Sholay'' and hired them to develop it. The original idea of the film involved an army officer who decided to hire two ex-soldiers to avenge the murder of his family. The army officer was later changed to a policeman because Sippy felt that it would be difficult to get permission to shoot scenes depicting army activities. Salim-Javed completed the script in one month, incorporating names and personality traits of their friends and acquaintances.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} The film's script and dialogues are in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]];<ref name="Cinar" /> Salim-Javed wrote the dialogues in [[Urdu script]], which was then transcribed by an assistant into [[Devanagari]] script so that Hindi readers could read the Urdu dialogues.<ref name="Akhtar" />

The film's plot was loosely styled after [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s 1954 [[samurai cinema]] film, ''[[Seven Samurai]]''.<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="rediff1" /> ''Sholay'' is a defining example of the [[Dacoit Western]] film, combining the conventions of Indian [[dacoit film]]s, especially [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and the [[Dilip Kumar]] and [[Nitin Bose]] film ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961),<ref name="Teo" /> with that of [[Western (genre)|Westerns]],<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="rediff1" /> especially [[Sergio Leone]]'s [[Spaghetti Western]]s such as ''[[Once Upon a Time in the West]]'' (1968) as well as ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'' (1960).<ref name="rediff1" /> It also has some plot elements borrowed from the Indian films ''[[Mera Gaon Mera Desh]]'' (1971) and ''[[Khote Sikkay]]'' (1973).{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} A scene depicting an attempted train robbery was inspired by a similar scene in ''Gunga Jumna'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Tapan K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0d6GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |title=Bollywood Baddies: Villains, Vamps and Henchmen in Hindi Cinema |date=2013 |publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]] |isbn=9788132113263 |page=55 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/https://books.google.com/books?id=0d6GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has also been compared to a similar scene in ''[[North West Frontier (film)|North West Frontier]]'' (1959).{{sfn|Varma|2010|pp=159–160}} A scene showing the massacre of Thakur's family has been compared with the massacre of the McBain family in ''Once Upon a Time in the West''.{{sfn|Heide|2002|p=52}} ''Sholay'' may have also been influenced by [[Sam Peckinpah]]'s Westerns, such as ''[[The Wild Bunch]]'' (1969) and ''[[Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid]]'' (1973), and [[George Roy Hill]]'s ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'' (1969).<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 June 2009 |title=Bollywood continues to lift from Hollywood scripts |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/bollywood-continues-to-lift-from-hollywood-scripts-news-bollywood-kkfrNmejhbc.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205195840/http://sify.com/movies/bollywood-continues-to-lift-from-hollywood-scripts-news-bollywood-kkfrNmejhbc.html |archive-date=5 December 2010 |access-date=22 December 2010 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref>

The character [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]] was modelled on a real-life dacoit [[Gabbar Singh Gujjar]] who had menaced the villages around [[Gwalior]] in the 1950s. Any policeman captured by Gujjar had his ears and nose cut off, and was released as a warning to other policemen.{{sfn|Khan|1981|pp=88–89, 98}}{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=26}} The fictional Gabbar was also influenced by larger-than-life characters in Pakistani author [[Ibn-e-Safi]]'s [[Urdu literature|Urdu novels]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2011 |title=Urdu pulp fiction: Where Gabbar Singh and Mogambo came from |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-urdu-pulp-fiction-where-gabbar-singh-and-mogambo-came-from-1564148 |access-date=3 June 2019 |archive-date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603155106/https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-urdu-pulp-fiction-where-gabbar-singh-and-mogambo-came-from-1564148 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dilip Kumar's dacoit character Gunga from the film ''Gunga Jumna'' who speaks with a similar mixed [[Kauravi dialect|Khariboli]] and [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] dialect,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chopra |first=Anupama |date=11 August 2015 |title=Shatrughan Sinha as Jai, Pran as Thakur and Danny as Gabbar? What 'Sholay' could have been |url=https://scroll.in/article/745687/shatrughan-sinha-as-jai-pran-as-thakur-and-danny-as-gabbar-what-sholay-could-have-been |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108092131/http://scroll.in/article/745687/shatrughan-sinha-as-jai-pran-as-thakur-and-danny-as-gabbar-what-sholay-could-have-been |archive-date=8 November 2015 |website=Scroll}}</ref> and villains from Sergio Leone's films.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=34}} Sippy wanted to do away with the clichéd idea of a man becoming a dacoit due to societal issues, as was the case in other films, and focused on Gabbar being an emblem of pure evil. To emphasise the point of Gabbar being a new type of villain, Sippy avoided the typical tropes of dacoits wearing [[dhoti]]s and [[Pagri (turban)|pagris]] and sporting a [[Tilaka|tika]] and worshipping "[[Bhavani|Ma Bhavani]]"; Gabbar would be wearing [[Military uniform|army fatigues]].{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=38}} The character of the jailer, played by [[Asrani]] was influenced by [[Adolf Hitler]]. Javed Akhtar brought a book on [[World War II]] which had several pictures of Hitler posing to set the typical posture of the character in the film. Asrani spiced up his character with some ideas about Hitler's speech delivery he had heard from a teacher in [[Film and Television Institute of India|FTII]]. The trademark 'Ha Ha' at the end of his monologues was inspired by a similar performance by [[Jack Lemmon]] in ''[[The Great Race]]''.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=37}}{{sfn|Banerjea|2005|p=183}} Soorma Bhopali, a minor [[comic relief]] character, was based on an acquaintance of actor Jagdeep, a forest officer from [[Bhopal]] named Soorma. The real-life Soorma eventually threatened to press charges when people who had viewed the film began referring to him as a woodcutter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2013 |title=How 'Soorma Bhopali' and 'Calendar' were created! |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/how-soorma-bhopali-and-calendar-were-created/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121104754/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/how-soorma-bhopali-and-calendar-were-created/ |archive-date=21 November 2016 |access-date=24 April 2013 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]]}}</ref> The main characters' names, Jai and Veeru, mean "victory" and "heroism" in Hindi.{{sfn|Hogan|2008|p=90}}

=== Casting ===
The producers considered [[Danny Denzongpa]] for the role of Gabbar Singh, but he could not accept it as he was committed to act in [[Feroz Khan (actor, born 1939)|Feroz Khan]]'s ''[[Dharmatma]]'' (1975), under production at the same time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 August 2008 |title=Danny Denzongpa's loss |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/did-you-know-/Danny-Denzongpas-loss/articleshow/3422978.cms |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113081159/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/did-you-know-/Danny-Denzongpas-loss/articleshow/3422978.cms |archive-date=13 November 2014}}</ref> Amjad Khan, who was the second choice, prepared himself for the part by reading the book ''Abhishapta Chambal'', which told of the exploits of [[Chambal division|Chambal]] dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, the father of fellow cast member Jaya Bhaduri.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=60}} Sanjeev Kumar also wanted to play the role of Gabbar Singh, but Salim-Javed "felt he had the audience's sympathy through roles he'd done before; Gabbar had to be completely hateful."<ref name="open" />

Sippy wanted [[Shatrughan Sinha]] to play the part of Jai, but there were already several big stars signed, and Amitabh Bachchan, who was not very popular yet, lobbied hard to get the part for himself.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=22–28}} He was cast after Salim-Javed recommended him for ''Sholay'' in 1973; Bachchan's performance in their first collaboration, ''Zanjeer'', convinced Salim-Javed he was the right actor for the part.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaudhuri |first=Diptakirti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters |date=2015 |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=9789352140084 |page=93 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Salim-Javed were also impressed with Bachchan's performance in ''[[Raaste Kaa Patthar]]'' (1972), and at Bachchan's request, Dharmendra had personally put in a word for him. All these factors ensured that the role was Bachchan's.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=31}}

As cast members had read the script ahead of time, many were interested in playing different parts. [[Pran (actor)|Pran]] was considered for the role of Thakur Baldev Singh, but Sippy thought Sanjeev Kumar was a better choice.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=31–32}} Initially, Salim-Javed approached [[Dilip Kumar]] to play Thakur's role, but he turned down the offer; Dilip Kumar later said it was one of the few films he regretted turning down.<ref name="open" /> Initially, Dharmendra was also interested to play the role of Thakur. He eventually gave up the role when Sippy informed him that Sanjeev Kumar would play Veeru if that happened, and would thus be paired with Hema Malini, who Dharmendra was trying to woo. Dharmendra knew that Kumar was also interested in Malini.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=35–36}} Malini was reluctant to play the role of a ''tangewali'', more so after Sippy told her that the film belongs to Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan, but she trusted Sippy to give her a meaty role, given that he had played a huge role in essaying her stardom through their previous collaborations.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=30}}

During the film's production, four of the leads became romantically involved.<ref name="rediff1" /> Bachchan married Bhaduri four months before filming started. This led to shooting delays when Bhaduri became pregnant with their daughter [[Shweta Bachchan Nanda|Shweta]]. By the time the film released, she was pregnant with their son [[Abhishek Bachchan|Abhishek]]. Dharmendra had begun courting Malini during their earlier film ''[[Seeta Aur Geeta]]'' (1972), also directed by Sippy, and used the location shoot of ''Sholay'' to further pursue her. During their romantic scenes, Dharmendra would often pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring many retakes which would allow him to spend more time with her. The couple married five years after the film's release.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=91–105}}

=== Filming ===
[[File:Ramdevarabetta.jpg|thumb|Ramdevarabetta, near the town of [[Ramanagara]]; much of ''Sholay'' was shot in rocky locations such as this.|alt=A rocky outcrop such as those used in filming Sholay]]

Much of ''Sholay'' was shot in the rocky terrain of [[Ramanagara]], a town near [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prabhu |first=Nagesh |date=29 August 2019 |title=The hills around Bengaluru are alive with the sound of tourists |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/the-hills-around-bengaluru-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-tourists/article29292458.ece |access-date=3 February 2020 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203014051/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/the-hills-around-bengaluru-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-tourists/article29292458.ece |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 June 2007 |title=Ramgarh of Sholay to become district |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Ramgarh-of-Sholay-to-become-district/articleshow/2140172.cms? |url-status=live |access-date=23 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013005634/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Ramgarh-of-Sholay-to-become-district/articleshow/2140172.cms |archive-date=13 October 2015}}</ref> The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagara for convenient access to the sets.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=45}} Art director Ram Yedekar had an entire township built on the site. A prison set was constructed near [[Rajkamal Studios]] in [[Bombay]], also outdoors, to match the natural lighting of the on-location sets.{{sfn|Roy|2003|p=225}} One part of Ramanagara was for a time called "Sippy Nagar" as a tribute to the director of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 December 1999 |title='We are not remaking ''Sholay''...' |url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/1999/dec/30sholay.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021153903/http://www.rediff.com/entertai/1999/dec/30sholay.htm |archive-date=21 October 2013 |access-date=20 April 2013 |publisher=Rediff}}</ref> {{As of|2010}}, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where much of the film was shot) was still being offered to tourists travelling through Ramanagara.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mekkad |first=Salil |date=19 June 2010 |title=Sholay ka Ramgarh |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/sholay-ka-ramgarh/story-wFY6D54CpoRCtuqPKhk2LL.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005114908/http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/sholay-ka-ramgarh/story-wFY6D54CpoRCtuqPKhk2LL.html |archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref>

Filming began on location on 3 October 1973, with a scene featuring Bachchan and Bhaduri.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=64}} The film had a lavish production for its time (with frequent banquets and parties for the cast),{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=66–67}} took two and a half years to make, and went over budget. One reason for its high cost was that Sippy re-filmed scenes many times to get his desired effect. "Yeh Dosti", a 5-minute song sequence, took 21&nbsp;days to shoot, two short scenes in which Radha lights lamps took 20&nbsp;days to film because of lighting problems, and the shooting of the scene in which Gabbar kills the imam's son lasted 19&nbsp;days.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=77–79}} The train robbery sequence, shot on the [[Mumbai–Pune Shatabdi Express|Bombay–Poona railway]] route near [[Panvel]], took more than 7&nbsp;weeks to complete.<ref>{{Cite news |last=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]] |date=4 August 2010 |title=Sholay continues to smoulder |work=Pune Mirror |url=http://punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=20100804201008040006534547ec622a7&sectxslt=&pageno=1 |access-date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311160806/http://punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=20100804201008040006534547ec622a7&sectxslt=&pageno=1 |archive-date=11 March 2012}}</ref>

''Sholay'' was the first Indian film to have a [[Stereophonic sound|stereophonic]] soundtrack and to use the [[70 mm film|70&nbsp;mm]] [[widescreen]] format.<ref name="ndtv" /> However, since actual 70&nbsp;mm cameras were expensive at the time, the film was shot on traditional [[35 mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm film]] and the [[4:3|4:3 picture]] was subsequently converted to a 2.2:1 frame.<ref name="DVD" /> Regarding the process, Sippy said, "A 70&nbsp;mm ''[sic]'' format takes the awe of the big screen and magnifies it even more to make the picture even bigger, but since I also wanted a spread of sound we used six-track stereophonic sound and combined it with the big screen. It was definitely a differentiator."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raghavendra |first=Nandini |date=10 April 2010 |title=3D effect: Back to 70&nbsp;mm screens? |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/3d-effect-back-to-70mm-screens/articleshow/5780184.cms |url-status=live |access-date=30 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213005654/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/3d-effect-back-to-70mm-screens/articleshow/5780184.cms |archive-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> The use of 70&nbsp;mm was emphasised by film posters on which the name of the film was stylised to match the [[CinemaScope]] logo. Film posters also sought to differentiate the film from those which had come before; one of them added the [[tagline]]: "The greatest star cast ever assembled&nbsp;– the greatest story ever told".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mazumdar, Ranjani |title=The Man Who Was Seen Too Much: Amitabh Bachchan on Film Posters (The Poster As Preview) |url=http://www.tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/essay/106/index_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512142358/http://www.tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/essay/106/index_1.html |archive-date=12 May 2015 |access-date=9 May 2013 |publisher=Tasveer Ghar}}</ref>

=== Alternate version ===
The [[director's cut]] of ''Sholay'' has a different ending in which Thakur kicks Gabbar onto a nail on one of the two poles that Gabbar had used to chain Thakur when he had cut off his arms, stabbing him in the back and killing him, along with some additional violent scenes. Thakur's shoe soles getting armed with spikes, Gabbar's death scene, and the scene in which the imam's son is killed, were cut from the film by India's [[Central Board of Film Certification|Censor Board]], as was the scene in which Thakur's family is massacred.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=77–79}} The Censor Board was concerned about the violence, and that viewers may be influenced to violate the law by punishing people severely.<ref name="ending" /> Although Sippy fought to keep the scenes, eventually he had to re-shoot the ending of the film, and as directed by the Censor Board, have the police arrive just before Thakur can kill Gabbar.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prabhakar, Jyothi |date=28 April 2013 |title=Changed 'Sholay' climax because of the Censor Board: Ramesh Sippy |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Changed-Sholay-climax-because-of-the-Censor-Board-Ramesh-Sippy/articleshow/19754678.cms? |url-status=live |access-date=5 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817120148/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Changed-Sholay-climax-because-of-the-Censor-Board-Ramesh-Sippy/articleshow/19754678.cms |archive-date=17 August 2015}}</ref> The censored theatrical version was the only one seen by audiences for fifteen years. The original, unedited cut of the film finally came out in a British release on [[VHS]] in 1990.<ref name="DVD" /> Since then, [[Eros International]] has released two versions on DVD. The director's cut of the film preserves the original full frame and is 204&nbsp;minutes in length; the censored widescreen version is 198&nbsp;minutes long.<ref name="Runtime" /><ref name="DVD" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 February 2001 |title=Sholay DVD review :: zulm.net :: definitive indian dvd guide |url=http://www.zulm.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=103&mode=&order=0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811131134/http://www.zulm.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=103&mode=&order=0 |archive-date=11 August 2012 |access-date=3 July 2013 |publisher=zulm.net}}</ref>{{efn|name=runtime|The [[British Board of Film Classification]] (BBFC) notes three running times of ''Sholay''. The version that was submitted in film format to BBFC had a running time of 198 minutes. A video version of this had a running time of 188 minutes. BBFC notes that "When a film is transferred to video the running time will be shorter by approximately 4% due to the differing number of frames per second. This does not mean that the video version has been cut or re-edited." The director's cut was 204 minutes long.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2012 |title=''Sholay'' |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/c2fb077ba3f9b33980256b4f002da32c/cde1a8bb41dd72ca8025660b0006032d?OpenDocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021153210/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/c2fb077ba3f9b33980256b4f002da32c/cde1a8bb41dd72ca8025660b0006032d?OpenDocument |archive-date=21 October 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013 |publisher=British Board of Film Classification}}</ref>}}

== Themes and interpretations ==
Scholars have noted several themes in the film, such as [[Heroic bloodshed|glorification of violence]], conformation to [[Indian feudalism|feudal ethos]], debate between [[social order]] and mobilised usurpers, [[Homosociality|homosocial]] bonding, and the film's role as a [[National personification|national allegory]].<ref>For glorification of violence, see Wimal Dissanayake, Malti Sahai, ''Sholay: A Cultural Reading (Delhi: Wiley Eastern, 1992)'', 115-19. {{ISBN|8122403948}}; for feudal ethos, see Hrishikesh Ingle, "Regionalist Disjuncture in Bollywood", in Vikrant Kishore et al., eds., ''Salaam Bollywood: Representations and interpretations'' (London: Routledge, 2016), 202. {{ISBN|1317232852}}; on social order/disorder, see Dissanayake, "The Concepts of Evil and Social Order in Indian Melodrama: An Evolving Dialect", in ''Melodrama and Asian Cinema'', ed. Dissanayake (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1993); on homosocial bonding, Dinah Holtzman, "Between ''Yaars'': The Queering of ''Dost'' in Contemporary Bollywood Films", in Rini Bhattacharya et al., eds., ''Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora'' (London: Anthem Press, 2011), 118-22. {{ISBN|0857288970}}; as national allegory, John Hutnyk, ''Global South Asia on Screen'' (NY: Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2018), 206. {{ISBN|1501324985}}.</ref>

Koushik Banerjea, a sociologist in the [[London School of Economics]], notes that ''Sholay'' exhibits a "sympathetic construction of 'rogue' [[masculinity]]" exemplified by the likeable [[outlaw]]s Jai and Veeru.{{sfn|Banerjea|2005|p=164}} Banerjea argues during the film, the moral boundary between [[legality]] and [[Crime|criminality]] gradually erodes.{{sfn|Banerjea|2005|pp=177–179}} Film scholar Wimal Dissanayake agrees that the film brought "a new stage in the evolving dialectic between violence and social order" to Indian cinema.{{sfn|Dissanayake|1993|p=199}} Film scholar M. Madhava Prasad states that Jai and Veeru represent a [[Social exclusion|marginalised]] population that is introduced into conventional society.{{sfn|Prasad|1998|pp=156–160}} Prasad says that, through the elements of revenge included in the plot and the application of Jai and Veeru's criminality for the greater good, the narrative reflects reactionary politics, and the audience is compelled to accept [[Feudalism|feudal order]].{{sfn|Prasad|1998|pp=156–160}} Banerjea explains that though Jai and Veeru are [[Mercenary|mercenaries]], they are humanised by their emotional needs. Such dualism makes them vulnerable, in contrast to the pure evil of [[Gabbar Singh (character)|Gabbar Singh]].{{sfn|Banerjea|2005|pp=177–179}}

Gabbar Singh, the film's antagonist, was well received by the audience, despite his pervasive sadistic cruelty.{{sfn|Dissanayake|1993|p=199}} Dissanayake explains that the audience was fascinated by the dialogues and mannerisms of the character, and this element of spectacle outweighed his actions, a first for Indian melodrama.{{sfn|Dissanayake|1993|p=199}} He notes that the picturisation of violence in the film was glamourised and uninhibited.{{sfn|Dissanayake|1993|p=200}} He further notes that, unlike earlier melodramas in which the [[Male gaze|female body occupies the audience's attention]] as an object of male fetish, in ''Sholay'', the male body becomes the centrepiece. It becomes the battleground where [[good and evil]] compete for supremacy.{{sfn|Dissanayake|1993|p=200}} Dissanayake argues that ''Sholay'' can be viewed as a national allegory: it lacks a comforting logical narrative, it shows social stability being repeatedly challenged, and it shows the devaluation of human life resulting from a lack of emotions. Taken together, these elements comprise the allegorical representation of India.{{sfn|Dissanayake|1993|p=201}} The narrative style of ''Sholay'', with its violence, revenge, and [[vigilante]] action, is occasionally compared by scholars to the political unrest in India at the time of its release. This tension culminated in [[the Emergency (India)|the Emergency]] ([[rule by decree]]) declared by prime minister [[Indira Gandhi]] in 1975.{{sfnm|1a1=Hayward|1y=2006|1pp=63–64|2a1=Holtzman|2y=2011|2p=118}}

Dissanayeke and Sahai note that, although the film borrowed heavily from the [[Western film|Hollywood Western genre]], particularly in its visuals, it was successfully "Indianised".{{sfnm|1a1=Dissanayake|1a2=Sahai|1y=1992|1p=125|2a1=Dissanayake|2y=1993|2p=197}} As an example, William van der Heide has compared a massacre scene in ''Sholay'' with a similar scene in ''Once Upon a Time in the West''. Although both films were similar in technical style, ''Sholay'' emphasised Indian family values and melodramatic tradition, while the Western was more materialistic and restrained in its approach.{{sfn|Heide|2002|p=52}} [[Maithili Rao]], in ''Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema'', notes that ''Sholay'' infuses the style of the Western genre into a "feudalistic ethos".{{sfn|Rao|2003|p=95}} Ted Shen of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' notes ''Sholay''{{'}}s "hysterical visual style" and intermittent "populist message".<ref name="shen chic reader" /> Cultural critic and Islamic scholar [[Ziauddin Sardar]] lampoons the film in his book ''The Secret Politics of Our Desires: Innocence, Culpability and Indian Popular Cinema'', both for its caricature and stereotyping of Muslim and women characters, and for what he calls mockery of innocent villagers.{{sfn|Sardar|1998|pp=48–49}} Sardar notes that the two most prominent Muslim characters in the film are Soorma Bhopali (a buffoonish criminal), and an impotent victim of the bandits (the imam). Meanwhile, the sole function of one female character (Radha) is to suffer her fate in silence, while the other female lead (Basanti) is just a garrulous village belle.{{sfn|Sardar|1998|pp=48–49}}

Some scholars have indicated that ''Sholay'' contains [[Homosociality|homosocial]] themes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gopinath |first=G. |year=2000 |title=Queering Bollywood |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=39 |issue=3–4 |pages=283–297 |doi=10.1300/J082v39n03_13 |pmid=11133137 |s2cid=24260497}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Anjaria |first=U. |year=2012 |title='Relationships which have no name': Family and sexuality in 1970s popular film |journal=South Asian Popular Culture |volume=10 |pages=23–35 |doi=10.1080/14746689.2012.655103 |s2cid=145145328}}</ref> Ted Shen describes the male bonding shown in the film as bordering on [[Camp (style)|camp style]].<ref name="shen chic reader" /> Dina Holtzman, in her book ''Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora'', states that the death of Jai, and resultant break of bonding between the two male leads, is necessary for the sake of establishing a [[Normativity|normative]] [[Heterosexuality|heterosexual]] relationship (that of Veeru and Basanti).{{sfn|Holtzman|2011|pp=111–113}}

== Music ==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Sholay
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = [[R. D. Burman]]
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = {{Start date|1975}}
| recorded   =1975
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = {{flatlist|
* [[Bollywood music]]
* [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
}}
| length     = {{Duration|m=28|s=59}}
| label      = [[Universal Music India]]<br />[[Polydor Records]]
| producer   = [[R. D. Burman]]
| prev_title =[[Kala Sona]]
| prev_year  =1975
| next_title =[[Dharam Karam]]
| next_year  = 1975
}}
[[R. D. Burman]] composed the film's music, and the lyrics were written by [[Anand Bakshi]]. The songs used in the film, and released on the original soundtrack are listed below.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 1975 |title=Sholay (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/sholay-original-motion-picture/182708988 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140616161449/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sholay-original-motion-picture/id182708988 |archive-date=16 June 2014 |access-date=23 April 2013 |publisher=[[iTunes Store]]}}</ref> Following that is a list of unused tracks and dialogues which were released later on an updated soundtrack.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sholay (Indian Film Soundtrack) |url=https://www.amazon.com/Sholay-Indian-Soundtrack-Amitabh-Bachchan/dp/B0014KWOX6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223142052/http://www.amazon.com/Sholay-Indian-Soundtrack-Amitabh-Bachchan/dp/B0014KWOX6 |archive-date=23 February 2014 |access-date=23 April 2013 |website=Amazon}}</ref>

[[Kishore Kumar]], [[Lata Mangeshkar]] and [[Manna Dey]] performed vocals for Dharmendra, Malini and Bachchan, respectively.

The song "Mehbooba Mehbooba" was sung by its composer, R. D. Burman, who received his sole [[Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer#1970s|Filmfare Award nomination for playback singing]] for his effort. The song, which is often featured on Bollywood hit song compilations,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Best of Bollywood |url=https://www.amazon.com/Best-Bollywood-Various-Artists/dp/B0000931PU |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121041851/https://www.amazon.com/Best-Bollywood-Various-Artists/dp/B0000931PU |archive-date=21 November 2016 |access-date=22 December 2010 |website=Amazon}}</ref> is based on "Say You Love Me" by Greek singer [[Demis Roussos]].{{sfn|Varma|2010|pp=159–160}}

"Mehbooba Mehbooba" has been extensively anthologised, remixed, and recreated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sholay |url=http://www.desiclub.com/bollywood/sndtrk_reviews/sndtrk_review.cfm?id=116 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021151955/http://www.desiclub.com/bollywood/sndtrk_reviews/sndtrk_review.cfm?id=116 |archive-date=21 October 2013 |access-date=11 September 2006 |publisher=Desiclub}}</ref> A version was created in 2005 by the [[Kronos Quartet]] for their [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]-nominated album ''[[You've Stolen My Heart]]'', featuring [[Asha Bhosle]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dye |first=David |date=5 October 2005 |title=Kronos Quartet's ''Stolen Heart'' with Asha Bhosle |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4946448 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126154057/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4946448 |archive-date=26 November 2010 |access-date=18 December 2010 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref> It was also remixed and sung by [[Himesh Reshammiya]], along with Bhosle, in his debut acting film ''[[Aap Kaa Surroor (film)|Aap Kaa Surroor]]'' (2007). "Yeh Dosti" has been called the ultimate friendship anthem.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 July 2011 |title=A journey of friendship. |work=[[The Mercury (South Africa)|The Mercury]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-273006124.html |url-status=dead |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105225429/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-273006124.html |archive-date=5 November 2013 |quote=The song Yeh Dosti (This Friendship) glorified male bonding and is, even today, viewed as the ultimate friendship anthem.}} {{link note|note=Partial story rendition from HighBeam.com archive.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kassam, Farzaneh Janasheen |date=4 April 2008 |title=BOLLY beats |work=[[Eastern Eye]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1473332191.html |url-status=dead |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105225426/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1473332191.html |archive-date=5 November 2013 |quote=And who can forget the song Yeh Dosti, which is the ultimate homage to friendship?}} {{link note|note=Partial story rendition from HighBeam.com archive.}}</ref> It was remixed and sung by [[Shankar Mahadevan]] and [[Udit Narayan]] for the 2010 Malayalam film ''[[Four Friends (2010 film)|Four Friends]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Padma |first=Reshmi |date=28 October 2010 |title=Kamal Haasan is the highlight of Four Friends |url=http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/oct/28/slide-show-1-south-saji-surendran-on-four-friends.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113005858/http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/oct/28/slide-show-1-south-saji-surendran-on-four-friends.htm |archive-date=13 January 2012 |access-date=24 February 2012 |publisher=Rediff}}</ref> and also in 2010 it was used to symbolise India's friendship with the United States during a visit from President [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 November 2010 |title=Sholay's 'ye dosti...' number for Obama at President's banquet |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sholays-ye-dosti-number-for-Obama-at-Presidents-banquet/articleshow/6890880.cms |url-status=live |access-date=19 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111104128/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sholays-ye-dosti-number-for-Obama-at-Presidents-banquet/articleshow/6890880.cms |archive-date=11 November 2010}}</ref>

Several songs from the soundtrack were included in the annual ''[[Binaca Geetmala]]'' list of top [[filmi]] songs. "Mehbooba Mehooba" was listed at No.&nbsp;24 on the [[Binaca Geetmala annual list 1975|1975 list]], and at No.&nbsp;6 on the [[Binaca Geetmala annual list 1976|1976 list]]. "Koi Haseena" was listed at No.&nbsp;30 in 1975, and No.&nbsp;20 in 1976. "Yeh Dosti" was listed at No.&nbsp;9 in 1976.{{sfn|Morcom|2007|p=209}} Despite the soundtrack's success, at the time, the songs from ''Sholay'' attracted less attention than the film's dialogue—a rarity for Hindi language films. The producers were thus prompted to release records with only dialogue.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=170}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miglani |first=Surendra |date=17 July 2005 |title=Lines that linger |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050717/spectrum/main6.htm |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605215537/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050717/spectrum/main6.htm |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> Taken together, the album sales reached an unprecedented 500,000&nbsp;units.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=180}} By 1979, the soundtrack went [[Indian Music Industry|Platinum]]<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1979 |title=Sûrya India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUvoAAAAMAAJ |journal=Sûrya India |publisher=A. Anand. |volume=3 |issue=2 |page=61 |quote=Six years after the movie was released, 'Sholay' is still going strong. Polydor records has won a platinum disc for the sale of the 'Sholay' record — the first time such a disc has been awarded in the 75- year-old history of the Indian record industry. |access-date=9 December 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819145853/https://books.google.com/books?id=MUvoAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> (equivalent to 1{{nbsp}}million sales at the time),<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=18 July 1981 |title=International |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT69 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media]] |volume=93 |issue=28 |page=69 |access-date=9 December 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819211107/https://books.google.com/books?id=rSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT69 |url-status=live }}</ref> becoming one of the top-selling [[Bollywood soundtrack]]s of the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Music Hits 1970–1979 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=282&catName=MTk3MC0xOTc5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215081540/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=282&catName=MTk3MC0xOTc5&PHPSESSID=108b9056cd4ca14236f9c6119d34dcce |archive-date=15 February 2008 |access-date=2 September 2013 |publisher=[[Box Office India]]}}</ref>

Music critic Oli Marlow reviewed the soundtrack in 2013, calling it a unique fusion of religious, folk, and classical music, with influences from around the world. He also commented on the sound design of the film, calling it psychedelic, and saying that there was "a lot of incredible incidental music" in the film that was not included in the soundtrack releases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marlow, Oli |date=14 January 2013 |title=Vouch: Geiom on RD Burman's Sholay |url=http://www.sonicrouter.com/2013/01/vouch-geiom-on-rd-burmans-sholay/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730093512/http://www.sonicrouter.com/2013/01/vouch-geiom-on-rd-burmans-sholay/ |archive-date=30 July 2013 |access-date=13 June 2013 |publisher=The Sonic Router}}</ref> In a 1999 paper submitted to London's Symposium on Sound in Cinema, film critic Shoma A. Chatterji said, "''Sholay'' offers a model lesson on how sound can be used to signify the terror a character evokes. ''Sholay'' is also exemplary in its use of soundmatching to jump cut to a different scene and time, without breaking the continuity of the narrative, yet, intensifying the drama."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chatterji, Shoma A. |date=15 April 1999 |title=The Culture-specific Use of Sound in Indian Cinema |url=http://www.filmsound.org/india/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606223140/http://filmsound.org/india/ |archive-date=6 June 2013 |access-date=13 June 2013 |publisher=FilmSound.org}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline       = Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| extra_column   = Singer(s)
| title1 = Title Music (Sholay) | note1 = [[Instrumental]] | length1 = 02:46
| title2 = Yeh Dosti | extra2 = [[Kishore Kumar]] and [[Manna Dey]] | length2 = 05:21
| title3 = Haa Jab Tak Hai Jaan | extra3 = [[Lata Mangeshkar]] | length3 = 05:26
| title4 = Koi Haseena | extra4 = Kishore Kumar and [[Hema Malini]] | length4 = 04:00
| title5 = Holi Ke Din | extra5 = Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar | length5 = 05:42
| title6 = Mehbooba Mehbooba | extra6 = R. D. Burman | length6 = 03:54
| title7 = Yeh Dosti | note7 = sad version | extra7 = Kishore Kumar | length7 = 01:49
}}
{{Track listing
| headline       = Bonus tracks&nbsp;— Released later
| extra_column   = Singers / Speakers
| title8         = Ke Chand Sa Koi Chehra | note8 = [[Qawwali]] | extra8 = Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, [[Bhupinder Singh (musician)|Bhupinder Singh]], [[Anand Bakshi]] | length8 = {{dash}}
| title9         = Veeru Ki Sagai | note9 = dialogues | extra9 = Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan | length9 = {{dash}}
| title10        = Gabbar Singh | note10 = dialogues | extra10 = Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra | length10 = {{dash}}
}}

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
''Sholay'' was released on 15 August 1975, [[Independence Day (India)|Indian Independence Day]], in Bombay. Due to lackluster reviews and a lack of effective visual marketing tools, it saw poor financial returns in its first two weeks. From the third week, however, viewership picked up owing to positive [[word of mouth]].{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=169}} During the initial slow period, the director and writer considered re-shooting some scenes so that Amitabh Bachchan's character would not die. When business picked up, they abandoned this idea.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=164}} After being helped additionally by a soundtrack release containing dialogue snippets,{{sfn|Banerjea|2005|pp=177–179}} ''Sholay'' soon became an "overnight sensation".<ref name="ndtv" /> The film was then released in other distribution zones such as [[Delhi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[West Bengal|Bengal]], and [[Hyderabad district, India|Hyderabad]] on 11 October 1975.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=173}} It became the highest-grossing [[Hindi film|Hindi language film]] of 1975, and film ranking website [[Box Office India]] has given the film a verdict of ''All Time Blockbuster''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Box Office 1975 |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=181&catName=MTk3NQ== |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020122136/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=181&catName=MTk3NQ%3D%3D |archive-date=20 October 2013 |access-date=12 October 2012 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref>

''Sholay'' went on to earn a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees{{efn|A golden jubilee means that a film has completed 50 consecutive weeks of showing in a single theatre.}} across India,<ref name="ndtv" /> and was the first film in India to celebrate a silver jubilee{{efn|A silver jubilee means that a film has completed 25 consecutive weeks of showing in a single theatre.}} at over 100 theatres.<ref name="ndtv" /> It was shown continuously at Bombay's Minerva theatre for over five years.<ref name="nyt" /> ''Sholay'' was the Indian film with the longest theatrical run until ''[[Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge]]'' (1995) broke its record of 286 weeks in 2001.{{sfn|Elliott|Payne|Ploesch|2007 |p=54}}<ref name="telegraph" />

Exact figures are not available on the budget and box-office earnings of ''Sholay'', but film trade sources provide estimates of its success. According to Box Office India, ''Sholay'' earned about {{INR|150 million|link=yes}} in net income{{efn|name=nettgross|According to the website Box Office India, film tickets are subject to "[[entertainment tax]]" in India, and this tax is added to the ticket price at the box office window of theatres. The amount of this tax is variable among [[States and territories of India|states]]. "Nett gross figures are always after this tax has been deducted while gross figures are before this tax has been deducted." Although since 2003 the entertainment tax rate has significantly decreased, as of 2010, gross earnings of a film can be 30–35% higher than nett gross, depending on the states where the film is released.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Box Office in India Explained |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=315&catName=UmVhZCBNb3Jl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020180004/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=315&catName=UmVhZCBNb3Jl |archive-date=20 October 2013 |access-date=14 May 2013 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref>}} (valued at about US$16,778,000 in 1975){{efn|name=exchange}} in India during its first run,<ref name="Boi70s" /> which was many times its {{INR|link=Indian rupee}}30&nbsp;million (valued at about US$3,355,000 in 1975){{efn|name=exchange}} budget.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=143}}<ref name="Boi70s" /> Those earnings in India were a record that remained unbroken for nineteen years, which is also the longest amount of time that a film has held [[List of highest-grossing Indian films#Highest-grossing films by year|the record]] for being the highest grossing film in India. Its original gross was increased further with re-releases during the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Inflation Figures&nbsp;– BOI |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=323&catName=QWJvdXQgSW5mbGF0aW9uIERhdGE= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106184319/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=323&catName=QWJvdXQgSW5mbGF0aW9uIERhdGE%3D |archive-date=6 January 2014 |access-date=24 February 2012 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref> The film's total gross revenue in India amounted to {{INR|350 million}}<ref name="indiatoday" />{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=139|loc=Epilogue: ''Yaah Rakkhunga, Tujhe Yaad Rakkunga''}} ({{US$|39.15 million|long=no}}).{{efn|name=exchange}} Box Office India estimates the film's total footfalls in India as over 100{{nbsp}}million tickets sold.<ref name="footfalls" /> The film was also an [[List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets|overseas success]] in the [[Soviet Union]], where it was released in 1979.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rajagopalan |first=Sudha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpoLAQAAMAAJ |title=Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin |date=2005 |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |isbn=978-0-253-22099-8 |page=191 |quote=One of his films, screened successfully in the Soviet Union, was Sholay. Sholay (Embers/Mesf i zakon; 1979), made in 1975, is an adventure film and 'India's best-known "curry" western patterned on Italian westerns'. |access-date=25 January 2019 |archive-date=26 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626205210/https://books.google.com/books?id=cpoLAQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film sold 48.4{{nbsp}}million tickets during its initial run at the [[List of Soviet films of the year by ticket sales|Soviet box office]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 December 2011 |title=Афиша Воздух: "Месть и закон" |work=[[Afisha]] |url=https://daily.afisha.ru/archive/vozduh/archive/gorelov-sholay/ |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215172357/https://daily.afisha.ru/archive/vozduh/archive/gorelov-sholay/ |url-status=live }}</ref> before eventually selling 60{{nbsp}}million tickets including re-runs.<ref name="soviet" /> The film was also released in China, as two parts in 1988.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 April 2018 |title=印度片現在這麼火也不是沒有原因的 |work=Xuehua |url=https://www.xuehua.us/2018/04/07/%E5%8D%B0%E5%BA%A6%E7%89%87%E7%8E%B0%E5%9C%A8%E8%BF%99%E4%B9%88%E7%81%AB%E4%B9%9F%E4%B8%8D%E6%98%AF%E6%B2%A1%E6%9C%89%E5%8E%9F%E5%9B%A0%E7%9A%84%E7%89%B9%E5%86%B7%E9%97%A8/zh-tw/ |access-date=6 March 2019 |archive-date=6 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506110618/https://www.xuehua.us/a/5eb6092386ec4d433b2c89ea?lang=zh-tw |url-status=live }}</ref>

It was the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|highest-grossing Indian film]] ever up until ''[[Disco Dancer]]'' (1982),<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 July 2018 |title=From Dangal to Sanju! Top 10 films that crossed the Rs 200 crore mark fastest |work=[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]] |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/trending/entertainment/from-dangal-to-sanju-top-10-films-crossed-rs-200-crore-mark-fastest/story/279979.html |access-date=13 December 2018 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215173256/https://www.businesstoday.in/trending/entertainment/from-dangal-to-sanju-top-10-films-crossed-rs-200-crore-mark-fastest/story/279979.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[List of highest-grossing films in India|highest-grossing film in India]] up until ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!]]'' (1994).<ref name="indiatoday" /> In 1985, ''[[India Today]]'' estimated that the film drew a total audience of 250{{nbsp}}million over the years,<ref name="indiatoday1985">{{Cite news |last=Mitra |first=Sumit |date=31 July 1985 |title=After series of box-office duds, Ramesh Sippy strikes back with romantic venture Saagar |work=[[India Today]] |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19850731-after-series-of-box-office-duds-ramesh-sippy-strikes-back-with-romantic-venture-saagar-770238-2013-12-27 |access-date=7 February 2019 |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209135521/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19850731-after-series-of-box-office-duds-ramesh-sippy-strikes-back-with-romantic-venture-saagar-770238-2013-12-27 |url-status=live }}</ref> which is comparable to the [[List of films by box office admissions|number of tickets sold]] by some of the world's [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing films of all time]] adjusted for inflation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Records |first=Guinness World |url=https://archive.org/details/GuinnessWorldRecords2015/page/n161 |title=Guinness World Records |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-908843-70-8 |edition=2015 |volume=60 |pages=160–161|publisher=Guinness World Records }}</ref> It is often cited that, after adjusting the figures for inflation, ''Sholay'' remains one of the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|highest-grossing films]] in the history of Indian cinema, although such figures are not known with certainty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Biggest Blockbusters Ever In Hindi Cinema |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=350 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014214254/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=350 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |access-date=13 April 2013 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref> Box Office India estimated {{INR|1.63 billion}} as ''Sholay'''s adjusted domestic net income in 2008,{{efn|name=nettgross|}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Earners 1970–1979&nbsp;– BOI |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=124&catName=MTk3MC0xOTc5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118030716/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=124&catName=MTk3MC0xOTc5 |archive-date=18 January 2008 |access-date=24 February 2012 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref> while ''[[Times of India]]'' estimated over {{INR|3 billion}} as the adjusted domestic gross in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kazmi |first=Nikhat |date=12 January 2009 |title=Sholay adjusted gross |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Box-Office-With-Rs-200cr-in-kitty-Ghajini-rewrites-records/articleshow/3965713.cms |url-status=live |access-date=23 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430071524/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Box-Office-With-Rs-200cr-in-kitty-Ghajini-rewrites-records/articleshow/3965713.cms |archive-date=30 April 2014}}</ref> ''[[Mid-Day]]'' estimated the film's total adjusted gross as {{INR|15 billion}} ({{US$|{{To USD|15000|IND|year=2014|round=yes}} million|long=no}}) in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |title=B-Town rewind: The tale of the first Bollywood crore |work=[[Mid-Day]] |url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/b-town-rewind-the-tale-of-the-first-bollywood-crore/15162064 |access-date=16 March 2014 |archive-date=16 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316114251/http://www.mid-day.com/articles/b-town-rewind-the-tale-of-the-first-bollywood-crore/15162064 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
Initial critical reviews of ''Sholay'' were negative. Among contemporary critics, K.L. Amladi of ''[[India Today]]'' called the film a "dead ember" and "a gravely flawed attempt".{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=161}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Amladi |first=K. L. |date=15 December 1975 |title=Sholay in totality is a depressing film |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19751215-sholay-in-totality-is-a-depressing-film-824046-2014-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724160501/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19751215-sholay-in-totality-is-a-depressing-film-824046-2014-07-05 |archive-date=24 July 2023 |access-date=24 July 2023 |website=[[India Today]]}}</ref> ''[[Filmfare]]'' said that the film was an unsuccessful mincing of Western style with Indian [[Social environment|milieu]], making it an "imitation western—neither here nor there."{{Sfn|Chopra|2000|p=161}} Others labelled it as "sound and fury signifying nothing" and a "second-rate take-off" of the 1971 film ''Mera Gaon Mera Desh''.<ref name="telegraph" /> Trade journals and columnists initially called the film a flop.{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=161–168}} In a 1976 article in the journal ''Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review'', author Michael Gallagher praised the technical achievement of the film, but otherwise criticised it stating, "As a spectacle it breaks new ground, but on every other level it is intolerable: formless, incoherent, superficial in human image, and a somewhat nasty piece of violence".{{sfn|Gallagher|1976|p=344}}

Over time, the critical reception to ''Sholay'' greatly improved; it is now considered a classic, and among the greatest Hindi-language films.<ref name="rediff1" />{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=3}} In a 2005 BBC review, the well-rounded characters and simple narrative of the film were commended, but the comical cameos of Asrani and Jagdeep were considered unnecessary.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rajput |first=Dharmesh |date=17 August 2005 |title=''Sholay'' (1975) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/08/17/sholay_2005_review.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007025157/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/08/17/sholay_2005_review.shtml |archive-date=7 October 2012 |access-date=16 April 2013 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> On the film's 35th anniversary, the ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' wrote that it was a "trailblazer in terms of camera work as well as music," and that "practically every scene, dialogue or even a small character was a highlight."<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 August 2010 |title=Sholay completes 35 years |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/sholay-completes-35-years/story-gZIxKfIxNvLThEiQ05KYWP.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005160039/http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/sholay-completes-35-years/story-gZIxKfIxNvLThEiQ05KYWP.html |archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> In 2006, The [[Film Society of Lincoln Center]] described ''Sholay'' as "an extraordinary and utterly seamless blend of [[Adventure film|adventure]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[Musical film|music and dance]]", labelling it an "indisputable classic".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sholay |url=http://filmlinccom.siteprotect.net/wrt/onsale06/sholay.html |access-date=21 December 2010 |publisher=[[Film Society of Lincoln Center]] |archive-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021150641/http://filmlinccom.siteprotect.net/wrt/onsale06/sholay.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Chicago Review'' critic Ted Shen criticised the film in 2002 for its formulaic plot and "slapdash" cinematography, and noted that the film "alternates between [[slapstick]] and melodrama".<ref name="shen chic reader" /> In their obituary of the producer G.P. Sippy, ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that ''Sholay'' "revolutionized Hindi filmmaking and brought true professionalism to Indian script writing".<ref name="nyt" />

=== Awards ===
''Sholay'' was nominated for nine [[Filmfare Awards]], and the only winner was [[M. S. Shinde]], who won the award for [[Filmfare Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Filmfare Nominees and {{sic|nolink=1|Winner}} |url=https://archive.org/details/FilmfareAwards |access-date=9 October 2020 |publisher=[[The Times Group]] |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> The film also won three awards at the 1976&nbsp;[[Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards]] (Hindi section): "Best Actor in Supporting Role" for Amjad Khan, "Best Cinematographer (Colour)" for [[Dwarka Divecha]], and "Best Art Director" for Ram Yedekar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1976: 39th Annual BFJA Awards |url=http://www.bfjaawards.com/legacy/pastwin/197639.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119012515/http://www.bfjaawards.com/legacy/pastwin/197639.htm |archive-date=19 January 2008 |access-date=2 December 2010 |publisher=Bengal Film Journalists' Association}}</ref> ''Sholay'' received a special award at the 50th Filmfare Awards in 2005: [[Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years|Best Film of 50 Years]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Filmfare Awards Winners |url=https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180227163020/https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards/ |archive-date=27 February 2018 |access-date=27 February 2018 |website=Filmfare}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Style="width:5%"| Awards
! Style="width:25%"| Category
!  Style="width:20%"| Nominee
!  Style="width:10%"| Result
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Bengal Film Journalists Association Awards]]
|Best Supporting Actor
|[[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]]
|rowspan="4"{{won}}
|-
|Best Cinematography
|[[Dwarka Divecha]]
|-
|Best Art Direction
|Ram Yadekar
|-
|rowspan="10"|[[23rd Filmfare Awards]]
|[[Filmfare Best Editing Award|Best Editing]]
|[[M. S. Shinde]]
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
|[[G. P. Sippy]]
|rowspan="9" {{nom}}
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|[[Ramesh Sippy]]
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|[[Sanjeev Kumar]]
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|Amjad Khan
|-
|[[Filmfare Best Comedian Award|Best Comedian]]
|[[Asrani]]
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Story|Best Story]]
|[[Salim-Javed]]
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Music Director|Best Music Director]]
|[[R. D. Burman]]
|-
|[[Filmfare Best Lyricist Award|Best Lyricist]]
|[[Anand Bakshi]] for "Mehbooba Mehbooba"
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer|Best Male Playback Singer]]
|R. D. Burman
|-
|[[50th Filmfare Awards]]
|Special Award
|Best Film for Completing 50 Years
|{{won|place=1st|Received}}
|-
|}

== Legacy and cultural influence ==
''Sholay'' has received many "Best Film" honours. It was declared the "Film of the Millennium" by [[BBC India]] in 1999.<ref name="nyt" /> It topped the [[British Film Institute]]'s "Top 10 Indian Films" [[Films considered the greatest ever|of all time]] poll of 2002,<ref>{{Cite web |year=2002 |title=Top 10 Indian Films |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515101729/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/ |archive-date=15 May 2011 |access-date=14 June 2012 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]]}}</ref> and was voted the greatest Indian movie in a [[Sky (UK and Ireland)|Sky Digital]] poll of one million British Indians in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thambirajah, Mohan |date=27 May 2004 |title='Sholay' voted best Indian movie |work=[[New Straits Times]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-94953889.html |url-status=dead |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225042453/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-94953889.html |archive-date=25 February 2016 |quote=SHOLAY has been voted the greatest Indian movie in a research by Sky Digital of one million Indians in Britain.}} {{link note|note=Partial story rendition from HighBeam.com archive.}}</ref> It was also included in the magazine ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s "Best of Bollywood" list in 2010,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |date=27 October 2010 |title=Sholay&nbsp;– 1975&nbsp;– Best of Bollywood |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2022076_2022067_2022045,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828050259/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C2022076_2022067_2022045%2C00.html |archive-date=28 August 2013 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> and in [[IBN Live]]'s list of the "100 greatest Indian films of all time" in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 April 2013 |title=100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/13200-19.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425234438/http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/13200-19.html |archive-date=25 April 2013 |access-date=12 February 2014 |website=[[IBN Live]]}}</ref> In 2023, [[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] ranked it #1 on its list of the "100 Best Bollywood Movies."<ref name="best">{{cite web |date=7 February 2023 |title=The 100 best Bollywood movies |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/the-100-best-bollywood-movies-the-list |access-date=28 November 2023 |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] |archive-date=20 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820130100/https://www.timeout.com/film/the-100-best-bollywood-movies-the-list |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Sholay'' inspired many films and [[pastiche]]s, and spawned a genre of films, the "Curry Western",{{sfnm|1a1=Dudrah|1a2=Desai|1y=2008|1p=5|2a1=Sparks|2y=2008|2p=157}} which is a play on the term [[Spaghetti Western]]. A more accurate label for the genre is the Dacoit Western, due to its roots in earlier Indian dacoit films such as ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957) and ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961).<ref name="Teo" /> It was also an early and most definitive [[masala film]],<ref name="uiowa" />{{sfn|Hayward|2006|p=67|ps=:"In its truest sense ''Sholay'' was perhaps ''the'' first Masala movie"}} and a trend-setter for "multi-star" films.{{sfn|Jain|2009|p=62}} The film was a watershed for scriptwriters in Hindi language films, who were not paid well before ''Sholay''; after the film's success, its writing duo Salim-Javed became stars in their own right and script writing became a more respected profession.<ref name="ndtv" /> The [[BBC]] has described ''Sholay'' as the "''[[Star Wars]]'' of Bollywood", comparing its impact on Hindi language films to the impact that ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977) later had on [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]], while comparing Gabbar Singh to [[Darth Vader]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Verma |first=Rahul |date=14 August 2015 |title=Sholay: The Star Wars of Bollywood? |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150813-sholay-the-star-wars-of-bollywood |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509192533/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150813-sholay-the-star-wars-of-bollywood |archive-date=9 May 2017 |access-date=28 November 2017 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

[[File:Gabbar Singh dialogue from Sholay on the back of auto rickshaw.jpg|thumb|A line of Gabbar Singh (''Tera kya hoga'', meaning, "What will happen to you?") and a picture of him is painted on the back of an [[auto rickshaw]], a common mode of public transport. Dialogues and characters from the film have contributed to many cultural tropes in India's daily life.|alt=A dialogue and image of Gabbar Singh painted on the back of an auto rickshaw]]

Certain scenes and dialogues from the film earned iconic status in India, such as "''Kitne aadmi the''" (How many men were there?), "''Jo dar gaya, samjho mar gaya''" (One who is scared is dead), and "''Bahut yaarana laagta hai''" (Looks like you two are very close) – all dialogues of Gabbar Singh.<ref name="rediff1" />{{sfnm|1a1=Chopra|1y=2000|1pp=4–5|2a1=Jess-Cooke|2y=2009|2p=126}} These and other popular dialogues entered the people's daily vernacular.{{sfnm|1a1=Banerjee|1a2=Srivastava|1y=1988|1pp=166–169|2a1=Jess-Cooke|2y=2009|2p=126}} Characters and dialogues from the film continue to be referred to and parodied in popular culture.{{sfnm|1a1=Chopra|1y=2000|1pp=4–5|2a1=Ganti|2y=2004|2p=161}} Gabbar Singh, the sadistic villain, ushered in an era in Hindi films characterised by "seemingly omnipotent oppressors as villains", who play the pivotal role in setting up the context of the story, such as Shakal (played by [[Kulbhushan Kharbanda]]) of ''[[Shaan (1980 film)|Shaan]]'' (1980), Mogambo ([[Amrish Puri]]) of ''[[Mr. India (1987 film)|Mr. India]]'' (1987) and Bhujang (Amrish Puri) of ''[[Tridev]]'' (1989).{{sfn|Zankar|2003|p=365}} ''Filmfare'', in 2013, named Gabbar Singh the most iconic villain in the history of Indian cinema,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hashmi, Parampara Patil |date=3 May 2013 |title=Iconic villains of Indian cinema |url=http://www.filmfare.com/features/iconic-villains-of-indian-cinema-3038-2.html |url-status=live |journal=[[Filmfare]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111181042/http://www.filmfare.com/features/iconic-villains-of-indian-cinema-3038-2.html |archive-date=11 November 2013 |access-date=7 July 2013}}</ref> and four actors were included in its 2010 list of "80 Iconic Performances" for their work in this film.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 June 2010 |title=Filmfare&nbsp;– 80 Iconic Performances 1/10 |url=http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-110-950.html |journal=Filmfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121065253/http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-110-950.html |archive-date=21 January 2012 |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=3 June 2010 |title=Filmfare&nbsp;– 80 Iconic Performances 2/10 |url=http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-210-952.html |journal=Filmfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705235640/http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-210-952.html |archive-date=5 July 2010 |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=6 June 2010 |title=Filmfare&nbsp;– 80 Iconic Performances 6/10 |url=http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-610-956.html |journal=Filmfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506122601/http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-610-956.html |archive-date=6 May 2013 |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=10 June 2010 |title=Filmfare&nbsp;– 80 Iconic Performances 10/10 |url=http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-1010-991.html |journal=Filmfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203173146/http://www.filmfare.com/articles/80-iconic-performances-1010-991.html |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref>

The film is often credited with making Amitabh Bachchan a "superstar", two years after he became a star with ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973).<ref name="uiowa" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Actor |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/cpages.php?pageName=top_actors |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191201/http://boxofficeindia.com/cpages.php?pageName=top_actors |archive-date=29 October 2013 |access-date=13 October 2012 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref> Some of the supporting actors remained etched in public memory as the characters they played in ''Sholay''; for example, [[Mac Mohan]] continued to be referred to as "Sambha", even though his character had just one line.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 May 2010 |title='Sambha' Mac Mohan of 'Sholay' fame dies |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sambha-Mac-Mohan-of-Sholay-fame-dies/articleshow/5914387.cms |url-status=live |access-date=14 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106153206/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Sambha-Mac-Mohan-of-Sholay-fame-dies/articleshow/5914387.cms |archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref> Major and minor characters continue to be used in commercials, promos, films and sitcoms.<ref name="ndtv" />{{sfn|Chopra|2000|pp=4–5}} Amjad Khan acted in many villainous roles later in his career. He also played Gabbar Singh again in the 1991 spoof ''[[Ramgarh Ke Sholay]]'', and reprised the role in commercials.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khanna |first=Parul |date=6 February 2010 |title=The most hilarious ads ever... |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/the-most-hilarious-ads-ever/story-w3DzJypz46bPExmxlqDJsI.html |url-status=live |access-date=17 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925073043/http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/the-most-hilarious-ads-ever/story-w3DzJypz46bPExmxlqDJsI.html |archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> The British Film Institute in 2002 wrote that fear of Gabbar Singh "is still invoked by mothers to put their children to sleep".<ref>{{Cite web |year=2002 |title=1. Sholay (1975) |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/01_sholay.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805124020/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/01_sholay.html |archive-date=5 August 2011 |access-date=27 April 2013 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]]}}</ref> The 2012 film ''[[Gabbar Singh (film)|Gabbar Singh]]'', named after the character, became the highest-grossing [[Cinema of Andhra Pradesh|Telugu film]] up to that point.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 July 2012 |title=Gabbar Singh highest grosser in south |work=[[India Today]] |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gabbar-singh-highest-grosser/1/209129.html |access-date=3 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719115946/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gabbar-singh-highest-grosser/1/209129.html |archive-date=19 July 2012}}</ref> Comedian [[Jagdeep]], who played Soorma Bhopali in the film, attempted to use his ''Sholay'' success to create a spinoff. He directed and played the lead role in the 1988 film ''[[Soorma Bhopali]]'', in which Dharmendra and Bachchan had cameos.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 January 1988 |title=Soorma Bhopali (1988) Cast and Crew |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/soorma-bhopali/cast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121104752/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/soorma-bhopali/cast/ |archive-date=21 November 2016 |access-date=24 February 2012 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]]}}</ref>

''Sholay'' was remade in [[Bangladesh]] as ''Dost Dushman'' (1977), becoming the first [[Cinema of Bangladesh|Dhallywood]] film to portray a number of lengthy action scenes, was condemned by many film critics for 'bringing violence' to the cinema screen in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bollywood and Dhallywood: Contentions and Connections |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2011/August/bollywood.htm |website=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]] |date=1 August 2011}}</ref> In 2004, ''Sholay'' was digitally remastered and shown again to packed theatres in India, including Mumbai's Minerva, where it had run successfully 29&nbsp;years earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 August 2004 |title=29 years later, Sholay still rules |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=35028 |url-status=live |access-date=30 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109044928/http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=35028 |archive-date=9 November 2013}}</ref> Another attempt to remake ''Sholay'', [[Ram Gopal Varma]]'s film ''[[Aag (2007 film)|Aag]]'' (2007), starring Amitabh Bachchan as the villain, was a commercial and critical disaster.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Box Office 2007 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=214 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109040918/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=214 |archive-date=9 November 2013 |access-date=20 April 2013 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref> Because of television and home media, ''Sholay'' is widely available and still popular. Twenty years after its release, ''Sholay'' was first shown on the Indian [[DD National]] television channel, where it drew the highest ratings ever for an Indian film broadcast.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mahmood |first=Rafay |date=5 April 2012 |title=Bollywood Masterpiece: Sholay in 3D |work=[[The Express Tribune]] |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/360123/bollywood-masterpiece-sholay-in-3d/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109035939/http://tribune.com.pk/story/360123/bollywood-masterpiece-sholay-in-3d/ |archive-date=9 November 2013}}</ref> Video game producer Mobile2win released the ''Sholay Ramgarh Express'' game for mobile phones in 2004, along with other ''Sholay'' themed content such as wallpapers, video clips, and ringtones; another video game ''Sholay: Bullets of Justice'' developed by Gameshastra has also been released.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bapna |first=Amit |date=29 January 2014 |title=Box office blockbuster Sholay: Ad man's favourite source of inspiration |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/box-office-blockbuster-sholay-ad-mans-favourite-source-of-inspiration/articleshow/29503479.cms?from=mdr |access-date=28 November 2023 |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sholay - Bullets of Justice |url=http://vroovy.com/Vroovywebsite/v8/sholay-bullets-of-justice.html |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=vroovy.com |archive-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211173224/http://vroovy.com/Vroovywebsite/v8/sholay-bullets-of-justice.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Sholay Adventures'', a 2014 [[List of Indian animated films|Indian animated television film]] adaptation of ''Sholay'' aired on [[Pogo TV]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 January 2015 |title=Pogo and Graphic India presents Sholay Adventures |url=http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/kids/pogo-and-graphic-india-presents-sholay-adventures-150123 |access-date=4 June 2017 |archive-date=16 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616091541/http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/kids/pogo-and-graphic-india-presents-sholay-adventures-150123 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2019, a film titled ''[[The Sholay Girl]]'', based on the stunt woman Reshma Pathan, was released. Pathan had worked as the body double for Malini in the film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Aayushi |date=4 March 2019 |title=All You Need To Know About Reshma Pathan aka The Sholay Girl, India's First Stunt Woman |url=https://zeetv.zee5.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-reshma-pathan-aka-the-sholay-girl-indias-first-stunt-woman/ |access-date=10 March 2019 |publisher=Zee TV |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807033401/https://zeetv.zee5.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-reshma-pathan-aka-the-sholay-girl-indias-first-stunt-woman/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Sholay'' has been the subject of two books and many articles. Wimal Dissanayake and Malti Sahai's ''Sholay, A Cultural Reading'' (1992) attempts a comprehensive scholarly study that sets the film within the broader history of popular cinema in India. [[Anupama Chopra]]'s ''[[Sholay: The Making of a Classic]]'' (2000) provides an inside look at the film's production based on interviews with the director, stars, and crew members.<ref name="ending" /><ref name="uiowa" />

''Sholay'' has been labelled by Chopra as the gold standard in Indian cinema, and a reference point for audiences and trade analysts. Over the years, the film has reached a mythic stature in popular culture,{{sfn|Chopra|2000|p=3}} and has been called the greatest Hindi film of all time.{{sfn|Dwyer|2005|p=218}} It belongs to only a small collection of films, including ''[[Kismet (1943 film)|Kismet]]'' (1943), ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957), ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' (1960) and ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!]]'' (1994), which are repeatedly watched throughout India, and are viewed as definitive Hindi films with cultural significance.{{sfnm|Mishra|2002|1p=66|Morcom|2007|2pp=139–144}} The lasting effect of ''Sholay'' on Indian cinema was summarised by Anupama Chopra, when in 2004 she called it "no longer just a film, [but] an event".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Zubair |date=18 August 2004 |title=Hindi classic pulls in the crowds |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3577790.stm |url-status=live |access-date=1 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623054743/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3577790.stm |archive-date=23 June 2012}}</ref> In the 2000 book ''Sholay: The Making of a Classic'', the noted director [[Shekhar Kapur]] stated "there has never been a more defining film on the Indian screen. Indian film history can be divided into ''Sholay'' BC and ''Sholay'' AD".{{sfn|Chopra|2000|loc=back cover}} The film was jointly released in Pakistan by [[Geo TV|Geo films]] and Mandviwalla Entertainment on 17 April 2015, almost 40 years after its theatrical release. The film's premiere in the country was held in [[Karachi]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 April 2015 |title='Sholay' releases in Pakistan |url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/sholay-releases-in-pakistan/article7117187.ece |access-date=19 April 2015 |website=The Hindu |agency=Press Trust of India |archive-date=30 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/sholay-releases-in-pakistan/article7117187.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

Screenwriter [[V. Vijayendra Prasad]], responsible for a number of blockbusters in the early 21st century, including the South Indian franchise [[Baahubali (franchise)|''Baahubali'']] and the Hindi film ''[[Bajrangi Bhaijaan]]'' (starring Salim's son [[Salman Khan]]), cited ''Sholay'' as a major inspiration on his work.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Suhani |date=17 June 2017 |title=Baahubali writer KV Vijayendra Prasad is going places at 75 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20170626-k-v-vijayendra-prasad-baahubali-writer-magadheera-986633-2017-06-17 |access-date=8 May 2022 |website=[[India Today]] |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508220818/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20170626-k-v-vijayendra-prasad-baahubali-writer-magadheera-986633-2017-06-17 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== 3D re-release ==
Filmmaker [[Ketan Mehta]]'s company Maya Digital was responsible for converting ''Sholay'' into the [[Stereoscopic 3D|3D]] format.<ref name="3D" /> Mehta was approached by G. P. Sippy's grandson, Sasha Sippy, about the project in 2010.<ref name="3D" /> In March 2012, Shaan Uttam Singh, the grandson of producer G. P. Sippy, said that he would sponsor a conversion of the film to 3D, and release it in late 2012;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Renu |date=31 March 2012 |title=Sholay 3D to release on Aug 15 |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Sholay-3D-to-release-on-Aug-15/articleshow/12479722.cms |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402041653/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Sholay-3D-to-release-on-Aug-15/articleshow/12479722.cms |archive-date=2 April 2012}}</ref> this was later postponed to late 2013,<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 August 2013 |title='Sholay 3D' to release on Amitabh Bachchan's 71st birthday? |url=http://www.news18.com/news/india/sholay-3d-to-release-on-big-bs-71st-birthday-630900.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508200023/http://www.news18.com/news/india/sholay-3d-to-release-on-big-bs-71st-birthday-630900.html |archive-date=8 May 2016 |access-date=7 December 2013 |website=News18}}</ref> and eventually finalised for 3 January 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 November 2013 |title='Sholay 3D' finally up for release in the first week of 2014 |work=[[Mid-Day]] |url=https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/-Sholay-3D--finally-up-for-release-in-the-first-week-of-2014-239108 |access-date=9 November 2013 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009032305/https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/-Sholay-3D--finally-up-for-release-in-the-first-week-of-2014-239108 |url-status=live }}</ref> It took {{INRConvert|250|m}} to convert ''Sholay'' to 3D.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 November 2013 |title=Rs 25 crore spent on Sholay 3D |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/rs-25-crore-spent-on-sholay-3d-443612 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113200519/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/rs-25-crore-spent-on-sholay-3d-443612 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |access-date=19 November 2013 |publisher=NDTV}}</ref>

Under the leadership of computer animator Frank Foster, 350 people worked to convert the film into the digital 3D format, for which every scene had to be individually [[Film preservation|restored]], colour-corrected and re-composited in 3D to match the depth.{{efn|The 3D version of the film has a run-time of 198 minutes and the original shots were of standard film frame rate, i.e. 24 frames per second, therefore this version has {{formatnum:285120}} frames which were digitised, upscaled to High Definition (HD) and element mapped.<ref name="screens" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Coutinho, Natasha |date=25 November 2013 |title=Sholay 3D was a tough challenge |url=http://www.asianage.com/bollywood/sholay-3d-was-tough-challenge-600 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211104844/http://www.asianage.com/bollywood/sholay-3d-was-tough-challenge-600 |archive-date=11 December 2013 |access-date=7 December 2013 |publisher=[[The Asian Age]]}}</ref> }}<ref name="3D" /> New set-pieces, particularly those suited to the new format were also included, such as digital logs which scatter in the direction of the camera during the first half of the film when the train collides with them, the gunshot scene which frees Jai and Veeru from their handcuffs, and [[Panorama|panoramic]] views of Gabbar's hideout in the caves.<ref name="3D" />

The theatrical trailer and release date were unveiled by the original script-writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 November 2013 |title='Sholay 3D' trailer unvieled &#91;sic&#93; & Updates at Daily News & Analysis |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-sholay-3d-trailer-unvieled-1915213 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011124137/http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-sholay-3d-trailer-unvieled-1915213 |archive-date=11 October 2015 |access-date=7 June 2015 |publisher=[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA]]}}</ref> The two original leads, Bachchan and Dharmendra, were also involved in promoting the re-release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mangaokar, Shalvi |date=22 October 2013 |title=Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra set to promote Sholay 3D |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-dharmendra-set-to-promote-sholay-3d/story-cfY7Yb5Ph2Uw9NHV3TioiK.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005112321/http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-dharmendra-set-to-promote-sholay-3d/story-cfY7Yb5Ph2Uw9NHV3TioiK.html |archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> The film was released in 1,000 screens in India, and additional screens overseas.<ref name="screens" /> It earned approximately {{INRConvert|13|c}} during its re-release, becoming the [[List of highest-grossing re-released Indian films|third highest-grossing re-released Indian film of all time]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 January 2014 |title=Sholay (Re-Run) Second Week Collection Details |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Details/art_detail/sholay_re-run_second_week_collection_details |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201202515/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Details/art_detail/sholay_re-run_second_week_collection_details |archive-date=1 February 2014 |access-date=23 January 2014 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2024 |title=Tumbbad becomes the highest-grossing re-release in India in 14 years |url=https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-tumbbad-becomes-the-highest-grossing-re-release-in-india-in-14-years-761680 |access-date=11 January 2025 |website=Wion |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*''[[Angry Young Men (mini series)]]''
* [[List of cult films]]
* [[List of highest-grossing Indian films]]
* [[Gabbar Singh (disambiguation)]]
* [[Remakes of films by Akira Kurosawa]]

== Footnotes ==
{{notelist|30em}}

== References ==
<references>

<ref name="Runtime">{{Cite web |title=''Sholay'' (PG) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/sholay-1988 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109084512/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/sholay-1988 |archive-date=9 November 2013 |access-date=12 April 2013 |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}</ref>
<ref name="open">{{Cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=Salim |author-link=Salim Khan |last2=Sukumaran |first2=Shradha |date=14 August 2010 |title=Sholay, the Beginning |url=http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/arts-letters/sholay-the-beginning |url-status=live |journal=[[Open (Indian magazine)|OPEN Magazine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/arts-letters/sholay-the-beginning |archive-date=30 November 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="Cinar">{{Cite book |last1=Cinar |first1=Alev |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-5llJ_MsvgC&pg=PA117 |title=Visualizing Secularism and Religion: Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, India |last2=Roy |first2=Srirupa |last3=Yahya |first3=Maha |date=2012 |publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |isbn=978-0-472-07118-0 |page=117 |quote=one of the most popular Hindi-Urdu films in Bollywood history, ''Sholay'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/https://books.google.com/books?id=q-5llJ_MsvgC&pg=PA117 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Akhtar">{{Cite book |last1=Aḵẖtar |first1=Jāvīd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_JILAQAAMAAJ |title=Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar |last2=Kabir |first2=Nasreen Munni |date=2002 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-566462-1 |page=49 |quote=JA: I write dialogue in Urdu, but the action and descriptions are in English. Then an assistant transcribes the Urdu dialogue into Devnagari because most people read Hindi. But I write in Urdu. |author-link=Javed Akhtar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108035102/http://books.google.com/books?id=_JILAQAAMAAJ |archive-date=8 January 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="nyt">{{Cite news |last=Pandya |first=Haresh |date=27 December 2007 |title=G. P. Sippy, Indian Filmmaker Whose ''Sholay'' Was a Bollywood Hit, Dies at 93 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/arts/27Sippy.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828135232/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/arts/27Sippy.html |archive-date=28 August 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="Teo">{{Cite book |last=Teo |first=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |title=Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood |date=2017 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-317-59226-6 |page=122 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130151204/https://books.google.com/books?id=pi8lDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rediff1">{{Cite web |last=Raheja |first=Dinesh |date=9 August 2009 |title=Why Sholay is a cult classic |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/aug/09dinesh.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122450/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/aug/09dinesh.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=1 December 2010 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref>
<ref name="ndtv">{{Cite web |date=14 August 2010 |title=35 years on, the Sholay fire still burns |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/35-years-on-the-sholay-fire-still-burns-44425 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612074406/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/35-years-on-the-sholay-fire-still-burns-44425 |archive-date=12 June 2013 |access-date=12 April 2013 |publisher=[[NDTV]]}}</ref>
<ref name="ending">{{Cite web |last=Das |first=Ronjita |date=7 February 2001 |title=I didn't even know there was another ending to ''Sholay'' |url=http://im.rediff.com/movies/2001/feb/07anu.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715164950/http://im.rediff.com/movies/2001/feb/07anu.htm |archive-date=15 July 2011 |access-date=27 September 2010 |publisher=Rediff}}</ref>
<ref name="DVD">{{Cite web |title=Sholay (1975) Region 0 DVD Review |url=http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content.php?contentid=58178 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121171814/http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content.php?contentid=58178 |archive-date=21 November 2016 |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=The Digital Fix}}</ref>
<ref name="shen chic reader">{{Cite news |last=Shen |first=Ted |date=13 December 2002 |title=Sholay |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/sholay/Film?oid=1063841 |url-status=live |access-date=11 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093713/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/sholay/Film?oid=1063841 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="telegraph">{{Cite news |date=3 February 2013 |title=900 not out! |work=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1130203/jsp/7days/story_16515999.jsp |url-status=dead |access-date=11 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225327/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130203/jsp/7days/story_16515999.jsp |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Boi70s">{{Cite web |title=Top Earners 1970–1979&nbsp;– BOI |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=124&catName=MTk3MC0xOTc5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014062240/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=124&catName=MTk3MC0xOTc5 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |access-date=24 February 2012 |publisher=Box Office India}}</ref>
<ref name="indiatoday">{{Cite news |date=15 September 1995 |title=Sholay emerges as Bollywood's most successful re-run product even after 20 years |work=[[India Today]] |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sholay-emerges-as-bollywoods-most-successful-re-run-product-even-after-20-years/1/289356.html |access-date=9 December 2018 |archive-date=1 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101010917/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sholay-emerges-as-bollywoods-most-successful-re-run-product-even-after-20-years/1/289356.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="footfalls">[https://boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=2988 Bahubali 2 Is The Biggest Hindi Blockbuster This Century] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824133203/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=2988 |date=24 August 2017}}, [[Box Office India]], 8 June 2017</ref>
<ref name="soviet">{{Cite web |title="Месть и закон" (Sholay, 1975) |url=https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/40451/ |access-date=3 February 2019 |website=[[KinoPoisk]] |language=ru-RU |archive-date=28 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828011232/https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/40451/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="uiowa">{{Cite web |last=Lutgendorf |first=Philip |title=Sholay |url=http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/sholay.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102025542/http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/sholay.html |archive-date=2 January 2015 |access-date=8 December 2010 |publisher=South Asian Studies Program, University of Iowa}}</ref>
<ref name="3D">{{Cite news |last=Roy, Priyanka |date=27 November 2013 |title=Sholay returns&nbsp;— in 3D! |work=The Telegraph (Calcutta) supplement t2 |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131127/jsp/t2/story_17614577.jsp |url-status=dead |access-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213001755/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131127/jsp/t2/story_17614577.jsp |archive-date=13 December 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="screens">{{Cite news |last=Jain, Priyanka |date=4 June 2012 |title=Sholay 3D will be more successful, says distributor |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sholay-3d-will-be-more-successful-says-distributor/story-QdkIKksj4a8Kly1NHIPssK.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005123811/http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sholay-3d-will-be-more-successful-says-distributor/story-QdkIKksj4a8Kly1NHIPssK.html |archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref>

</references>

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Banerjea |first=Koushik |title=Bollyworld: Popular Indian Cinema Through A Transnational Lens |publisher=SAGE |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7619-3321-2 |editor-last=Kaur |editor-first=Raminder |chapter='Fight Club': Aesthetics, Hybridisation and the Construction of Rogue Masculinities in ''Sholay'' and ''Deewar'' |editor-last2=Sinha |editor-first2=Ajay J |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DGtNhQsLl7wC&pg=PA176 }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Banerjee |first1=Shampa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zX4GY37rG8kC&pg=PA16 |title=One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography |last2=Srivastava |first2=Anil |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-8240-9483-6 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Chopra |first=Anupama |authorlink=Anupama Chopra |title=[[Sholay: The Making of a Classic]] |publisher=Penguin Books, India |year=2000 |isbn=0-14-029970-X }}
* {{Cite book |last=Dissanayake |first=Wimal|author-link=Wimal Dissanayake|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-Y6811S3agC |title=Melodrama and Asian Cinema |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-521-41465-4 |editor-last=Dissanayake |editor-first=Wimal |chapter=The concepts of evil and social order in Indian melodrama: an evolving dialectic }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Dissanayake |first1=Wimal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uxJlAAAAMAAJ |title=Sholay, a cultural reading |last2=Sahai |first2=Malti |publisher=Wiley Eastern |year=1992 |isbn=978-81-224-0394-7 }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Dudrah |first1=Rajinder Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B6wLAQAAMAAJ |title=The Bollywood Reader |last2=Desai |first2=Jigna |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-335-22212-4 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Dwyer |first=Rachel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-9kAAAAMAAJ |title=One Hundred Bollywood Films |publisher=BFI |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84457-098-0 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=3 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103133858/http://books.google.com/books?id=u-9kAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Elliott |first1=Emory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvPP_xmUwyUC&pg=PA37 |title=Global migration, social change, and cultural transformation |last2=Payne |first2=Jasmine |last3=Ploesch |first3=Patricia |publisher=Macmillan |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-230-60054-6 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=11 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111233124/http://books.google.com/books?id=rvPP_xmUwyUC&pg=PA37 |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Gallagher |first=Michael |year=1976 |title=Indian and Western Cinema: Film Report |journal=Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review |publisher=Irish Province of the Society of Jesus |volume=65 |issue=260 |pages=344–348 |jstor=30090035}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ganti |first=Tejaswini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC |title=Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-28854-5 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=20 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320134221/https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Hayward |first=S |title=Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=0-415-36782-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Heide |first=William Van der |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC&pg=PA52 |title=Malaysian cinema, Asian film: border crossings and national cultures |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-90-5356-580-3 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=9 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609195430/https://books.google.com/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Hogan |first=Patrick Colm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O1yubyUWGuMC |title=Understanding Indian Movies: Culture, Cognition, and Cinematic Imagination |publisher=University of TEXAS Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-292-77955-6 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Holtzman |first=Dina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kGIuatpm-8gC |title=Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora |publisher=Anthem Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85728-782-3 |editor-last=Bhattacharya Mehta |editor-first=Rini |chapter=Between ''Yaars'': The Queering of ''Dosti'' in Contemporary Bollywood Films |editor-last2=Pandharipande |editor-first2=Rajeshwari |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=19 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219201636/https://books.google.com/books?id=kGIuatpm-8gC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Jain |first=Manju |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ORE9TDOoU1IC&pg=PA62 |title=Narratives Of Indian Cinema |publisher=Primus Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-81-908918-4-4 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Jess-Cooke |first=Carolyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sw0mjBBbybUC&pg=PA126 |title=Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7486-2603-8 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Mohammad Zahir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LE8iAAAAMAAJ |title=Dacoity in Chambal Valley |publisher=National |year=1981 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Mishra |first=Vijay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q8Z9Ukwn6EC |title=Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-415-93015-4 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617214223/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q8Z9Ukwn6EC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Morcom |first=Anna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kfVdxiSm-aYC&pg=PA212 |title=Hindi film songs and the cinema |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7546-5198-7 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=17 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517041801/https://books.google.com/books?id=kfVdxiSm-aYC&pg=PA212 |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Prasad |first=M. Madhava |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OBkAAAAMAAJ |title=Ideology of the Hindi Film: A Historical Construction |publisher=Oxford University Press, Incorporated |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-19-564218-6 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=11 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611095042/http://books.google.com/books?id=6OBkAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Rao |first=Maithili |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Popular Prakashan |year=2003 |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |editor-last=Gulzar |chapter=1976–1989: Rebels without a Cause |editor-last2=Nihalani |editor-first2=Govind |editor-last3=Chatterjee |editor-first3=Saibal |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405040645/https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Roy |first=Sharmishta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Popular Prakashan |year=2003 |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |editor-last=Gulzar |chapter=Art Direction: Sets, Reality, and Grandeur |editor-last2=Nihalani |editor-first2=Govind |editor-last3=Chatterjee |editor-first3=Saibal |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405040645/https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Sardar |first=Ziauddin |title=The Secret Politics of Our Desires: Innocence, Culpability and Indian Popular Cinema |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-85649-516-5 |editor-last=Nandy |editor-first=Ashis |chapter=Dilip Kumar Made Me Do It |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-mFd5pfgNsC&pg=PA49 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=2 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102061751/http://books.google.com/books?id=5-mFd5pfgNsC |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Sparks |first=Karen Jacobs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wKvMZWcgKYC |title=Encyclopædia Britannica 2008 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-59339-425-7 }}
* {{Cite book |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1977-11.pdf |title=Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1977 |publisher=US Bureau of the Census |year=1977 |ref={{sfnRef|Statistical Abstract of the United States|1977}} |access-date=13 April 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063334/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1977-11.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Varma |first=Pavan K. |title=Becoming Indian |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-670-08346-6 |chapter=Creativity and Distortion |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4uzTY2MQ5CAC&pg=PA160 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Zankar |first=Anil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Popular Prakashan |year=2003 |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |editor-last=Gulzar |chapter=Heroes and Villains: Good versus Evil |editor-last2=Nihalani |editor-first2=Govind |editor-last3=Chatterjee |editor-first3=Saibal |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405040645/https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |url-status=live }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{Bollywood Hungama movie|sholay-2<!-- id# 540372 -->}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160504124523/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b5c1aff Sholay] at the [[British Film Institute]]
* {{TCMDb title}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/sholay/ ''Sholay'' 30th Anniversary site] at [[BBC Asian Network]]

{{Salim-Javed}}
{{Ramesh Sippy}}
{{Portal bar|Bollywood|Film|India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sholay| ]]
[[Category:Hindustani language]]<!--Colloquial language used in the film-->
[[Category:1970s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1970s Indian films]]
[[Category:1970s Urdu-language films]]
[[Category:1970s Western (genre) comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s action adventure films]]
[[Category:1970s adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s buddy comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1970s masala films]]
[[Category:1970s musical comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s police procedural films]]
[[Category:1970s vigilante films]]
[[Category:1975 Western (genre) films]]
[[Category:1975 action comedy films]]
[[Category:1975 controversies]]
[[Category:1975 films]]
[[Category:70 mm film]]
[[Category:Action film remakes]]
[[Category:Buddy action films]]
[[Category:Censored films]]
[[Category:CinemaScope films]]
[[Category:Film censorship in India]]
[[Category:Films about amputees]]
[[Category:Films about bounty hunters]]
[[Category:Films about con artists]]
[[Category:Films about criminals]]
[[Category:Films about disability in India]]
[[Category:Films about organised crime in India]]
[[Category:Films about outlaws]]
[[Category:Films about social class]]
[[Category:Films about social issues in India]]
[[Category:Films about social realism]]
[[Category:Films about society]]
[[Category:Films about the caste system in India]]
[[Category:Films about the upper class]]
[[Category:Films adapted for other media]]
[[Category:Films adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Films based on adaptations]]
[[Category:Films based on Seven Samurai]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ramesh Sippy]]
[[Category:Films scored by R. D. Burman]]
[[Category:Films set in India]]
[[Category:Films set in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Films set in prison]]
[[Category:Films shot in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Films shot in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Films shot in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Salim–Javed]]
[[Category:Hindi films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Hindi-language films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Indian 3D films]]
[[Category:Indian Western (genre) comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian action adventure films]]
[[Category:Indian action comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian action drama films]]
[[Category:Indian adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian buddy comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian crime action films]]
[[Category:Indian crime drama films]]
[[Category:Indian epic films]]
[[Category:Indian films about revenge]]
[[Category:Indian gangster films]]
[[Category:Indian heist films]]
[[Category:Indian musical comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian police films]]
[[Category:Indian remakes of American films]]
[[Category:Indian remakes of Japanese films]]
[[Category:Indian slapstick comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian vigilante films]]
[[Category:1970s melodrama films]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]
[[Category:Revisionist Western (genre) films]]
[[Category:Siege films]]
[[Category:UTV Motion Pictures films]]
[[Category:Western (genre) epic films]]
<!--[[Dacoit Western]]/[[Curry Western]]s which originated with this.-->
[[Category:Works subject to expurgation]]

<!--Soundtrack-->
[[Category:1975 musical films]]
[[Category:3D re-releases]]
[[Category:2014 3D films]]