International Arthouse Classics: Sholay (1975) New Restoration

Few classics of Indian cinema are as exhilarating as Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 hit Sholay, presented in a new restoration on its 50th anniversary. The story follows Jai and Veeru, two small-time criminals hired by the retired policeman Thakur Baldev Singh to capture the ruthless bandit Gabbar Singh. What begins as a mission for survival unfolds into a sweeping tale of friendship, sacrifice, love, and vengeance—told through iconic characters, sharp dialogue, and genre-defining spectacle.

From unpromising beginnings (typically, industry insiders predicted that “unconventional” elements in this big-budget film would make it a resounding flop) Sholay exploded onto 70mm screens to become one of the Bombay film industry’s greatest success stories — the film that would, for vast audiences, definitively embody the “masala” blockbuster. Released on August 15th (Indian Independence Day) 1975, it played to sold-out houses at major urban venues for more than two years, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film ever made, a laurel it held for nearly two decades. It is indisputably one of the most influential Hindi films of all time, and the question to ask Indian cinephiles is not whether they have seen it, but how many times? One of the films that helped make Amitabh Bachchan the ‘70s superstar par excellence, Sholay also catapulted Amjad Khan to stardom in the role of the sadistic bandit Gabbar Singh, and is said to have ushered in the era of the “supervillain.” While giving a quintessentially Indian turn to the now-international mythos of the Western, Sholay also set new standards in cinematography and action sequences—as in the spectacular opening train scene.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy

1975 | India | Hindi language with English subtitles | DCP