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Sholay: The Making of a Classic
The Making Of A Classic is a captivating saga about the biggest timeless Indian blockbuster which swayed the silver screen for nearly 5 years in the mid-seventies. It chronicles each and every facet of this Ramesh Sippy magnum opus.
Sholay, the very name enthralls all the film aficionados of this nation. In this context, the remark by a renowned film director is noteworthy that Sholay is the watershed between two eras in Bollywood, Sholay BC and Sholay AD.
The Making Of A Classic is an endeavor to capture the halo encircling the film. It painstakingly captures all the nitty-gritty behind the film, starting from the conceptualization of the story to the arduous process of casting, moving on to the visualization over two years in a barren, rocky landscape, and finally the first weeks post the film's release across the country.
The book is brimming with intriguing anecdotes such as Danny Dengzongpa's exit from the film, Amjad Khan bagging the role of the nefarious bandit, Gabbar Singh, and the steamy romance between Hema Malini and Dharmendra on the sets. The Making Of A Classic was published in the year 2000 to commemorate the silver jubilee of Sholay. Anupama Chopra has been conferred the National Award for 'Best Book on Film' in the Year 2000 for The Making Of A Classic.
Sholay, the very name enthralls all the film aficionados of this nation. In this context, the remark by a renowned film director is noteworthy that Sholay is the watershed between two eras in Bollywood, Sholay BC and Sholay AD.
The Making Of A Classic is an endeavor to capture the halo encircling the film. It painstakingly captures all the nitty-gritty behind the film, starting from the conceptualization of the story to the arduous process of casting, moving on to the visualization over two years in a barren, rocky landscape, and finally the first weeks post the film's release across the country.
The book is brimming with intriguing anecdotes such as Danny Dengzongpa's exit from the film, Amjad Khan bagging the role of the nefarious bandit, Gabbar Singh, and the steamy romance between Hema Malini and Dharmendra on the sets. The Making Of A Classic was published in the year 2000 to commemorate the silver jubilee of Sholay. Anupama Chopra has been conferred the National Award for 'Best Book on Film' in the Year 2000 for The Making Of A Classic.
200 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
November 7, 2016
GP Sippy (director Ramesh Sippy's father and producer too) : "Ye film 10 saal nahi utaregi"
The film that cost 3 crores and 3 years, anticipated to be a blockbuster, shot in 70mm with foreign action directors, and grand music both in songs and background music. It flopped (initially) !
From the very seed of the idea, to the casting, shooting, post-production, response; from Dharmendra-Sanjeev-Hema love triangle to Amjad-Salim-Javed tiffs and Jaya Bachchan's pregnancy, Danny's last moment dropping out, a lot of interesting anecdotes / details r covered despite the book being only 120 pages. A great fast-paced read on a trip.
The film that cost 3 crores and 3 years, anticipated to be a blockbuster, shot in 70mm with foreign action directors, and grand music both in songs and background music. It flopped (initially) !
From the very seed of the idea, to the casting, shooting, post-production, response; from Dharmendra-Sanjeev-Hema love triangle to Amjad-Salim-Javed tiffs and Jaya Bachchan's pregnancy, Danny's last moment dropping out, a lot of interesting anecdotes / details r covered despite the book being only 120 pages. A great fast-paced read on a trip.
July 19, 2021
It is a good read. Tells you about every aspect of film-making: the challenge of making a 70mm + stereophonic film when the theatres were not ready for such a film + how India didn't have a studio at that time for recording stereophonic sound; how Dharmendra-Hema Malini relationship developed during the making of the film; the kind of innovation and enterprise needed to shoot elaborate action sequences that Sholay had..and a lot more in an interesting manner. If you are a fan of movie trivia, then I would recommend this book. Ofcourse, it is a good idea to watch Sholay if you haven't seen it recently before reading this book.
March 21, 2017
It was a fascinating and a quick read. One of the most iconic movies of all times has been covered pretty well by the author. Wish there was more details on the trials the main cast and crew went through while making this movie.
It takes a lot to create a masterpiece. After watching the actual climax of the movie on YouTube, I can't agree more with the director. This would have been a fitting end to this movie, but it was never meant to be.
This book is a must read for film buffs
It takes a lot to create a masterpiece. After watching the actual climax of the movie on YouTube, I can't agree more with the director. This would have been a fitting end to this movie, but it was never meant to be.
This book is a must read for film buffs
April 7, 2024
As interesting as watching the movie. It was nostalgic as well because my mother, ever a fan of Filmfare and Stardust magazines, had memorized the gossip over the years and would share it out of the blue. It's a short read.
August 27, 2021
After the towering success of 'Seeta Aur Geeta', the Sippy's were sniffing around to make a blockbuster and were on the lookout for a suitable grand story. Salim-Javed had this four-line idea -- An army officers family is massacred. He remembers two junior officers who were court martialled. They were rascals but also brave. The retired officer decides to enlist them in his mission for revenge. The Sippys bought the four-line plot and told the writers to script for a big film.
They wanted to create a big action adventure, an epic confrontation between good and evil. The idea was to do an Indian western. Fifteen days after Salim-Javed and Ramesh Sippy began their sessions in a dim-lit room, the outline for their new film was ready. The logistics of making an army film were daunting. There were too many permissions to be sought and censorship could be a nightmare. Thus Army man was changed to Police officer. One by one thing's fell into place. The film was named "Sholay.'
Ramesh Sippy wanted epic action. Sholay had a gruelling train sequence, lengthy horse chases, and ambitious attack on the village. Men had to fall of cliffs and horses, collapse in the dust. The final censored film was 18,000 feet. At three hours and twenty minutes, it was still long enough to throw show timings off. Sholay's budget was nearing an unprecedented three crores of rupees. It was madness, the industry pundits said. Yet the Sippys continued to spend. Sholay was finally ready after two and half years of labour that layed spooled in tins.
'The Greatest Star Cast Ever Assembled! The Greatest Story Ever Told!' was the announcement of Sholay before release.There was an unprecedented pre-release buzz around the film. The feeling was that Sholay would not be able to recoup the massive investments made to produce it. It was 1975 and Sholay was released with much fanfare on 15th August, the Independence day. However, one week after the release, the verdict was out. Sholay flopped. No one was watching the film. The critics were harsh and the industry, waiting for the smallest hint to knock the mega project was merciless.
Mid-week a theatre proprietor tells Ramesh Sippy not to worry, the film is a hit as the audience are stunned that they are not coming out during interval for refreshments. People were overawed by what they were seeing. They needed time. Now, clearly, Sholay had found its audience. Word of mouth spread like a juicy rumour. The visuals were epic and the sound was miracle. By the third week, the audience was repeating the dialogues.
The Sippys stopped listening to trade magazines. As the queues got longer, the collections mounted, it became obvious that they were looking at something big. Sholay had captured the imagination of the entire country. Sholay had no rivals at the box-office and ran successfully for more than five years. It was the most successful film in the history of Indian cinema.
The book covers entire aspect of the making of this mega blockbuster from the casting, the locations, the filming and the difficulties faced during the premier and release of the film. Must read for all Indian movie buffs. Lots of interesting trivia information for Sholay fans.
They wanted to create a big action adventure, an epic confrontation between good and evil. The idea was to do an Indian western. Fifteen days after Salim-Javed and Ramesh Sippy began their sessions in a dim-lit room, the outline for their new film was ready. The logistics of making an army film were daunting. There were too many permissions to be sought and censorship could be a nightmare. Thus Army man was changed to Police officer. One by one thing's fell into place. The film was named "Sholay.'
Ramesh Sippy wanted epic action. Sholay had a gruelling train sequence, lengthy horse chases, and ambitious attack on the village. Men had to fall of cliffs and horses, collapse in the dust. The final censored film was 18,000 feet. At three hours and twenty minutes, it was still long enough to throw show timings off. Sholay's budget was nearing an unprecedented three crores of rupees. It was madness, the industry pundits said. Yet the Sippys continued to spend. Sholay was finally ready after two and half years of labour that layed spooled in tins.
'The Greatest Star Cast Ever Assembled! The Greatest Story Ever Told!' was the announcement of Sholay before release.There was an unprecedented pre-release buzz around the film. The feeling was that Sholay would not be able to recoup the massive investments made to produce it. It was 1975 and Sholay was released with much fanfare on 15th August, the Independence day. However, one week after the release, the verdict was out. Sholay flopped. No one was watching the film. The critics were harsh and the industry, waiting for the smallest hint to knock the mega project was merciless.
Mid-week a theatre proprietor tells Ramesh Sippy not to worry, the film is a hit as the audience are stunned that they are not coming out during interval for refreshments. People were overawed by what they were seeing. They needed time. Now, clearly, Sholay had found its audience. Word of mouth spread like a juicy rumour. The visuals were epic and the sound was miracle. By the third week, the audience was repeating the dialogues.
The Sippys stopped listening to trade magazines. As the queues got longer, the collections mounted, it became obvious that they were looking at something big. Sholay had captured the imagination of the entire country. Sholay had no rivals at the box-office and ran successfully for more than five years. It was the most successful film in the history of Indian cinema.
The book covers entire aspect of the making of this mega blockbuster from the casting, the locations, the filming and the difficulties faced during the premier and release of the film. Must read for all Indian movie buffs. Lots of interesting trivia information for Sholay fans.
July 7, 2019
There is only so much you can know about the greatest Indian film ever made "Sholay".
The writer Anupama Chopra is the wife of the acclaimed Film Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra who has made films like Parinda and Mission Kashmir and is a well-known author, interviewer and film critic.
It was 1975 and Sholay was released with much fanfare on 15th August, the independence day of India and a week later the verdict was out. No one was watching the film.
The film was a major flop and it was a colossal disappointment.
Every critic hated the film, called its characters caricaturish and story repetitive.
It was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" which was hailed by Japanese and Western critics alike as a great film.
Sholay took 3 years in the making and had a dream cast. All the actors in it were top actors, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya bachchan, Hema Malini, except the villain Amjad Khan who was an unknown actor and it was his first film.
Critics rushed to bash him immediately. He played a really dislikeable character of a dacoit called Gabbar Singh.
The director and producer were worried and were planning to change the ending of the film and re-release the film.
They were not going to let their baby go off easily.
The film was the costliest film of the time and used the latest technology in its making.
There were huge expectations riding on it.
Then Suddenly a miracle happens.
The film starts to pick up a week later and every show of the film in the entire country starts going houseful.
In some theatres, Sholay ran successfully for 5 years or more.
Soon everyone was chanting its dialogues.
It became one of the most successful films in the history of Indian cinema.
The making of the film is as interesting as the film and an entire film can be made out of its making.
Being a big fan of Sholay, I know most of the things that happened behind the shoot and the book wasn't much surprise to me.
Still, there were so many anecdotes about the film which I wasn't aware of and found them exhilarating. The author went on to interview the stalwarts associated with the film to know more about what happened behind the camera.
You cannot miss this book if you are a fan of Indian cinema and want to know more about its greatest blockbuster.
Great writing and highly entertaining book.
A must read for a Sholay fan.
The writer Anupama Chopra is the wife of the acclaimed Film Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra who has made films like Parinda and Mission Kashmir and is a well-known author, interviewer and film critic.
It was 1975 and Sholay was released with much fanfare on 15th August, the independence day of India and a week later the verdict was out. No one was watching the film.
The film was a major flop and it was a colossal disappointment.
Every critic hated the film, called its characters caricaturish and story repetitive.
It was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" which was hailed by Japanese and Western critics alike as a great film.
Sholay took 3 years in the making and had a dream cast. All the actors in it were top actors, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya bachchan, Hema Malini, except the villain Amjad Khan who was an unknown actor and it was his first film.
Critics rushed to bash him immediately. He played a really dislikeable character of a dacoit called Gabbar Singh.
The director and producer were worried and were planning to change the ending of the film and re-release the film.
They were not going to let their baby go off easily.
The film was the costliest film of the time and used the latest technology in its making.
There were huge expectations riding on it.
Then Suddenly a miracle happens.
The film starts to pick up a week later and every show of the film in the entire country starts going houseful.
In some theatres, Sholay ran successfully for 5 years or more.
Soon everyone was chanting its dialogues.
It became one of the most successful films in the history of Indian cinema.
The making of the film is as interesting as the film and an entire film can be made out of its making.
Being a big fan of Sholay, I know most of the things that happened behind the shoot and the book wasn't much surprise to me.
Still, there were so many anecdotes about the film which I wasn't aware of and found them exhilarating. The author went on to interview the stalwarts associated with the film to know more about what happened behind the camera.
You cannot miss this book if you are a fan of Indian cinema and want to know more about its greatest blockbuster.
Great writing and highly entertaining book.
A must read for a Sholay fan.
January 6, 2021
"It was just the germ of a film: An army officer’s family gets massacred. He remembers two junior officers who had been court-martialled. They are rascals but they are also brave. The retired officer decides to enlist them in his mission for revenge. A meeting was scheduled at the Khar office. Salim-Javed narrated the idea to Ramesh and G. P. Sippy. In addition to the four lines, they also offered the Sippys a complete script called Majboor, about a man who, believing he has a brain tumour, agrees to be framed for a murder in return for money. Ramesh was tempted by the script. It was ready to shoot. The film could be canned in less than a year. He could make Majboor while Salim-Javed developed the four-line idea. A discussion on money ensued: Salim-Javed wanted a lakh of rupees for developing the four lines and two lakhs for Majboor. Ramesh counter-offered: Rs 75,000 for developing the four lines and a lakh and a half for Majboor.
Salim-Javed hesitated. Another producer had already offered more for the script, they would lose a lot of money in this deal. The Sippys didn’t want that. They decided to let Majboor go. Besides, even Ramesh thought that while Majboor was a good script, it wasn’t a great one. The meeting ended with G. P. Sippy saying decisively, ‘I want to make a big film. Develop the four lines."
The rest as they say is history.
This is an interesting book. I knew some of the information beforehand as Sholay is part of the folklore. However there are many new things which came to Light.
I became emotional towards the end. Sholay didn't do well initially amd I was sad even now in 2020.
And yes all of those artists never surpassed the magic of Sholay till date, even as some of them are dead or retired.
Salim-Javed hesitated. Another producer had already offered more for the script, they would lose a lot of money in this deal. The Sippys didn’t want that. They decided to let Majboor go. Besides, even Ramesh thought that while Majboor was a good script, it wasn’t a great one. The meeting ended with G. P. Sippy saying decisively, ‘I want to make a big film. Develop the four lines."
The rest as they say is history.
This is an interesting book. I knew some of the information beforehand as Sholay is part of the folklore. However there are many new things which came to Light.
I became emotional towards the end. Sholay didn't do well initially amd I was sad even now in 2020.
And yes all of those artists never surpassed the magic of Sholay till date, even as some of them are dead or retired.
December 24, 2018
An entertaining read describing lots of unknown facts about the Saga.
May 16, 2021
Like listening to a 4 hr podcast on the movie, nicely done. Time to re-watch again now.
August 31, 2024
Anupama Chopraa weaves the story so realistically that it transfers you to the village of sholay 50 years ago and you start seeing everything with your own eyes.
July 22, 2023
this is a superb narrative on the making of sholay. Anupama writes in clear easy flow with goosebump moments captured perfectly. Ramesh Sippy, coming off the success of Seeta aur Geeta, decided to make an Indian western, with the basic idea of a movie from Salim-Javed. Amit, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya and Hema Malini were all easy casts. Danny was signed as Gabbar, but had conflicts with another film. Finally, newcomer Amjad Kahn was finalised for the role which became iconic. The shoot happened in a village outside Bangalore with the village, takhur's house and gabbar's den all were made from scratch. Foreign action director was called in. The film was made on a 70mm print, whereas the 35mm print was the norm of the day. RD Burman provided the music, with Anand Bakshi the lyricist.
The entire unit worked as a family, staying in almost the same hotels in bangalore. After 2 years, when it was released (the ending changed as per the directions of the censor board), the critics were lukewarm and almost for a month the money did not come pouring in.
Finally, the good word of mouth worked its magic and it became a blockbuster. It made huge money in almost all territories it was distributed in, the music company sold almsot 500 000 records (of dialogues) and cassattes in first year, even the black ticket buisnessmen made money. It became a cultural phenomeon and kept playing in select cinemas for decades (the rights being re negotiated every 5 years making the sippys a lot of money each time).
credit really goes to ramesh. he fought for his final scene, he fought for amjad khan (even against salim-javed), he fought for a 70mm print (which had to be done in london, mumbai did not have sucha studio - the reason being the cinamtic look it will give the film), he took days to shoot small sequences (everything had to be right), he never let go of his patience. GP Sippy kept supplying his son with money.
It just won 1 filmfare award, but Sholay is now considered an indian classic.
The entire unit worked as a family, staying in almost the same hotels in bangalore. After 2 years, when it was released (the ending changed as per the directions of the censor board), the critics were lukewarm and almost for a month the money did not come pouring in.
Finally, the good word of mouth worked its magic and it became a blockbuster. It made huge money in almost all territories it was distributed in, the music company sold almsot 500 000 records (of dialogues) and cassattes in first year, even the black ticket buisnessmen made money. It became a cultural phenomeon and kept playing in select cinemas for decades (the rights being re negotiated every 5 years making the sippys a lot of money each time).
credit really goes to ramesh. he fought for his final scene, he fought for amjad khan (even against salim-javed), he fought for a 70mm print (which had to be done in london, mumbai did not have sucha studio - the reason being the cinamtic look it will give the film), he took days to shoot small sequences (everything had to be right), he never let go of his patience. GP Sippy kept supplying his son with money.
It just won 1 filmfare award, but Sholay is now considered an indian classic.
June 2, 2023
This book is a treat for Bollywood cinephiles who relish in knowing trivia about their classics. From the very first page, I was hooked into the wealth of behind-the-scenes anecdotes that I discovered. Anupama Chopra's commendable effort in weaving these anecdotes together into a cohesive narrative truly showcases the massive impact of the iconic film, Sholay. Unveiling all these intimate interactions and the dynamics between the cast and crew of this film, gives a very unique insight into their personalities and shows their collective endeavour to make this movie the timeless masterpiece that it is today. It's also fascinating to know how despite repeated failures and frequent hurdles in the filmmaking and reception, everyone was determined to give their absolute best to meet the director's vision.
Anupama Chopra's writing is a perfect amalgamation of fluid storytelling and analytical insights with the right touch of masala. She delves into the intricate details of the movie's production without making the text too theoretical. This, the book is an easy read for those who are nostalgic of a time when cinema was at its pinnacle of excellence and experimentation. The camaraderie amongst the star cast and the subtle clash in egos between some of them is quite amusing to hear about. Chopra humanizes these legendary actors by shedding light on their insecurities and continual investment to breathe life into their characters. This gives us a good insight into the magnitude of their achievement and teaches us that greatness can emerge from humble beginnings (cue Amjad Khan).
On a personal note, I would have liked a deeper exploration of the socio political environment in which the movie was created. While there was repeated mention of the Emergency period and how it influenced the Censor Board's reception of the film, it would have been more comprehensive to know if it had any influence on the film's reception by the public or the critics.
Anupama Chopra's writing is a perfect amalgamation of fluid storytelling and analytical insights with the right touch of masala. She delves into the intricate details of the movie's production without making the text too theoretical. This, the book is an easy read for those who are nostalgic of a time when cinema was at its pinnacle of excellence and experimentation. The camaraderie amongst the star cast and the subtle clash in egos between some of them is quite amusing to hear about. Chopra humanizes these legendary actors by shedding light on their insecurities and continual investment to breathe life into their characters. This gives us a good insight into the magnitude of their achievement and teaches us that greatness can emerge from humble beginnings (cue Amjad Khan).
On a personal note, I would have liked a deeper exploration of the socio political environment in which the movie was created. While there was repeated mention of the Emergency period and how it influenced the Censor Board's reception of the film, it would have been more comprehensive to know if it had any influence on the film's reception by the public or the critics.
April 27, 2018
Disclaimer: I hated the movie.
As I had learned during one of my school plays, a huge amount of effort and money gets spent even in making something as pitiful and substandard as sholay. But then i had already learned to respect bad-films by watching "The Disaster Artist" so this book was indeed a waste of time.
"Again the pundits and critics were proved wrong as they usually are."
As the above line suggests, the book is honest in its treatment of the situations surrounding the film, but she does tend to manipulate/romanticize a lot of ethically wrong things like paji's rewards to crew so that they would help in the prolonged harassment of hema during the shooting or their treatment of junior actors.
There were a lot of other things wrong with the novel too. The pictures affixed have captions that are taken from the text itself, which then do not serve the purpose of complimenting anything but instead were mostly ignored by me. Most of the photos are still-shots from films, so even that was disappointing. The writing was never great, the pulse seemed to stay the same throughout and even though it was a short book, it felt a little repetitive.
The only thing okay about this novel is that it has a lot of Trivia which can be used for showing off at the right occasions.
P.S: Avoid both, the film and the book and you shall live happier. Though, do watch her reviews, they are excellent.
As I had learned during one of my school plays, a huge amount of effort and money gets spent even in making something as pitiful and substandard as sholay. But then i had already learned to respect bad-films by watching "The Disaster Artist" so this book was indeed a waste of time.
"Again the pundits and critics were proved wrong as they usually are."
As the above line suggests, the book is honest in its treatment of the situations surrounding the film, but she does tend to manipulate/romanticize a lot of ethically wrong things like paji's rewards to crew so that they would help in the prolonged harassment of hema during the shooting or their treatment of junior actors.
There were a lot of other things wrong with the novel too. The pictures affixed have captions that are taken from the text itself, which then do not serve the purpose of complimenting anything but instead were mostly ignored by me. Most of the photos are still-shots from films, so even that was disappointing. The writing was never great, the pulse seemed to stay the same throughout and even though it was a short book, it felt a little repetitive.
The only thing okay about this novel is that it has a lot of Trivia which can be used for showing off at the right occasions.
P.S: Avoid both, the film and the book and you shall live happier. Though, do watch her reviews, they are excellent.
August 26, 2017
Though I like the movie, not this book please,
this book dealt with more names of people than with background sequences. Interesting ironies include, - the author speaks about everyone using brand Sholay for capitalism, and fails to mention that, the list includes herself, by means of writing this book, she too forms a part of the folklore :) who's extracting capital gains out of brand Sholay.
If you can remove off the names of people instead of repeating, re-repeating, re-re-repeating them around 50 times, I guess, the content of the book could be reduced by 50 pages. There are so many people mentioned in the acknowledgement section, but hardly anyone recommended a mod in the writing style, which appears far from interesting. The writing looks uninspiring and plain dull.
I think journalist and story teller are two different genres, and I, my friend, am a fan of story tellers, so a 3 rating! I could have picked up the bits and pieces of Sholay from internet itself instead of buying a kindle copy at Rs 70! I think a lot of time is needed to plan the layout of a book organizing its contents, but in case of this book, I feel it was unorganized, though it was all there chronologically, it just could have been better and easier on the readers' minds.
Cheers, took quite a loong time to read, even though its a 200'er reason being, it just doesn't attract attention!
this book dealt with more names of people than with background sequences. Interesting ironies include, - the author speaks about everyone using brand Sholay for capitalism, and fails to mention that, the list includes herself, by means of writing this book, she too forms a part of the folklore :) who's extracting capital gains out of brand Sholay.
If you can remove off the names of people instead of repeating, re-repeating, re-re-repeating them around 50 times, I guess, the content of the book could be reduced by 50 pages. There are so many people mentioned in the acknowledgement section, but hardly anyone recommended a mod in the writing style, which appears far from interesting. The writing looks uninspiring and plain dull.
I think journalist and story teller are two different genres, and I, my friend, am a fan of story tellers, so a 3 rating! I could have picked up the bits and pieces of Sholay from internet itself instead of buying a kindle copy at Rs 70! I think a lot of time is needed to plan the layout of a book organizing its contents, but in case of this book, I feel it was unorganized, though it was all there chronologically, it just could have been better and easier on the readers' minds.
Cheers, took quite a loong time to read, even though its a 200'er reason being, it just doesn't attract attention!
April 16, 2017
(A major part of) Sholay's success was the quantum leap in on-screen quality of action in Bollywood, the unprecedented on-screen star power which was a first, and the pure unadulterated malice and sadism that Gabbar Singh exposed Indian audiences to for the first time - things I learned from reading this book.
At 120-130 pages, this book is a fast read. The behind-the-scenes stories (assuming true) are really interesting and would probably lend to someone making a meta-movie on behind-the-scenes of Sholay someday. For instance, in the original ending, Thakur stomps Gabbar to death Negan-style but emergency-era Indian censor board had them reshoot a different ending.
If you're a fan of the movie buy this book to read little tidbits like these and for the cool B&W and color photos in the middle of the book. Looks neat in my bookshelf also. Would've rated above 3 stars if the writing style was better.
At 120-130 pages, this book is a fast read. The behind-the-scenes stories (assuming true) are really interesting and would probably lend to someone making a meta-movie on behind-the-scenes of Sholay someday. For instance, in the original ending, Thakur stomps Gabbar to death Negan-style but emergency-era Indian censor board had them reshoot a different ending.
If you're a fan of the movie buy this book to read little tidbits like these and for the cool B&W and color photos in the middle of the book. Looks neat in my bookshelf also. Would've rated above 3 stars if the writing style was better.
July 14, 2020
A quick and a fantastic read! Thrilling behind-the-scene stories about one of the greatest classics of Bollywood is a must-know for any movie lover.
Right from the apprehensions of casting newbies and box office failures, creating a village in its entire glory in Ramnagaram to having to change the ending out of political pressure - the making of the film is to quite a thriller by itself.
Originally - Ramesh Sippy didn’t want the usual Police arriving in the nick of time scene to capture Gabbar. Thakur was supposed to have crushed and killed Gabbar with his nail-edged shoes in revenge for his family massacre and left with a sense of fulfilment and remorse at the same time.
The determination of the director - Ramesh Sippy to create a classic, the likes that Indian Cinema hasn’t seen has got to be lauded. Although, none of this would be possible without Salim-Javed, the real visionaries of the grandeur that is Sholay.
Right from the apprehensions of casting newbies and box office failures, creating a village in its entire glory in Ramnagaram to having to change the ending out of political pressure - the making of the film is to quite a thriller by itself.
Originally - Ramesh Sippy didn’t want the usual Police arriving in the nick of time scene to capture Gabbar. Thakur was supposed to have crushed and killed Gabbar with his nail-edged shoes in revenge for his family massacre and left with a sense of fulfilment and remorse at the same time.
The determination of the director - Ramesh Sippy to create a classic, the likes that Indian Cinema hasn’t seen has got to be lauded. Although, none of this would be possible without Salim-Javed, the real visionaries of the grandeur that is Sholay.
November 8, 2014
This virtually unknown book came to my attention as I was trawling Amazon's book pages during one of their umpteen 'Dhamaka' sales. Filled with anecdotes that went on behind the scenes during the making of 'Sholay', I found the book a terrifically fun read.
'Sholay' started off as a four sentence story idea that Salim and Javed had about a couple of good at heart crooks. Ramesh Sippy, in his mid twenties at the time, picked the story up and literally bled money (the budget of the movie was unthinkable for those times) to convert the four line story into one of India's cult classics.
'Sholay: The Making of a Classic' is on par with Jai Arjun Singh's 'Jaane bhi do yaaron'. I finished the book in a day and was left wanting more.
Read both these books to understand how two of India's favorite movies came to be made.
'Sholay' started off as a four sentence story idea that Salim and Javed had about a couple of good at heart crooks. Ramesh Sippy, in his mid twenties at the time, picked the story up and literally bled money (the budget of the movie was unthinkable for those times) to convert the four line story into one of India's cult classics.
'Sholay: The Making of a Classic' is on par with Jai Arjun Singh's 'Jaane bhi do yaaron'. I finished the book in a day and was left wanting more.
Read both these books to understand how two of India's favorite movies came to be made.
July 17, 2008
Indian cinema is supposedly the busiest in the entertainment industry. In spite of this, there is very little that Indian movie buffs know about 'the making' of their favorite movies. Needless to say, I am one of those fore mentioned movie buffs. When so much trivia and anecdotes are available for Hollywood blockbusters, very little is know about Bollywood and Kollywood's behind the scene and beyond the scene activities. What we get to read are generally tabloid fare.
Anupama Chopra's collection of borrowed memoirs of a platinum classic does give temporary respite for... again the fore mentioned movie buffs.
If you have the remastered DVD, if you have the dialogs only audio CD/cassette, then you have to add this book to your shelf.
Anupama Chopra's collection of borrowed memoirs of a platinum classic does give temporary respite for... again the fore mentioned movie buffs.
If you have the remastered DVD, if you have the dialogs only audio CD/cassette, then you have to add this book to your shelf.
December 1, 2011
Picked this book at Walden bookstores at hyderabad India, I had a walden bookstore near the parking of my earlier office at Hyd; so after lunch-hour, it was a compulsory 1 hr hanging & browsing new books & magazines at this bookstore.
I ordered it through flipkart.com, received 25% discount on the MRP of 299Rs.
A behind the scened memoir on the making of the cult-classic movie Sholay. A must for all Sholay afficiados, penned by the wife of director Vidhu Vinod Chopra Ms.Anupama Chopra, its not very exhaustive.
A small book with hardly 150 pages with a few old pictures thrown into. A compulsive one-sitting read for the fans familiar & grown up on the Sholay.
I ordered it through flipkart.com, received 25% discount on the MRP of 299Rs.
A behind the scened memoir on the making of the cult-classic movie Sholay. A must for all Sholay afficiados, penned by the wife of director Vidhu Vinod Chopra Ms.Anupama Chopra, its not very exhaustive.
A small book with hardly 150 pages with a few old pictures thrown into. A compulsive one-sitting read for the fans familiar & grown up on the Sholay.
April 22, 2020
Bollywood film Sholay was an epic film but it was first rejected by audience as filmgoers at that time did not like its violence. But later on its villain Gabbar Singh was much loved by all. I still remembers the tag line of Parle-G ' Gabbar ki pasand'... Anupama Chopra book 'Sholay- The making of classic' has unique flair of a story teller. I really enjoyed the book and finished its reading in two days. You can read my views and can share your thoughts on
https://www.theblacksparrowmusings.co...
August 28, 2015
Quick Read. Good Read. But could have been better, wanted to know more about Ramesh Sippy more than anything else, his vision and guts are noteworthy but in the end it is details like whether Hema Malini got South Indian food on set comes across as disturbing at least for me. I also understand that a movie in the stature of Sholay is bound to attract many anecdotes, but then anecdote reporting is only one part of film writing. That's all.
March 20, 2021
Not Good !!!!!
Long back my friend asked me how sholay movie is. I said it is not a good movie. He was really surprised and ask me the reason. I said I have watched the movie numerous times but even today if I start watching this movie, I can not get up before finishing the movie, ignoring all other important other work may come up.
This book is like Sholay, once you start the book, you have to finish it putting aside all other work.
Very good and entertaining book.
Long back my friend asked me how sholay movie is. I said it is not a good movie. He was really surprised and ask me the reason. I said I have watched the movie numerous times but even today if I start watching this movie, I can not get up before finishing the movie, ignoring all other important other work may come up.
This book is like Sholay, once you start the book, you have to finish it putting aside all other work.
Very good and entertaining book.
January 1, 2022
'Indian film industry can be divided into Sholay BC and Sholay AD'- Shekhar Kapoor. A beautiful and very detailed account of the process that went behind the making of one of the greatest Hindi blockbusters of all time. The book itself has no less elements than the mega blockbuster. It has drama, action, romance, tension, comedy, tragedy and beyond. The book completely justifies its title. A must read for all the cinema buffs out there.
October 17, 2023
Precious
Sholay was released 30 years ago I was even born. I have seen Sholay in numerous times, reading this was a fortune. Hari bhai, Asrani saab, McMohan, Amjad bhai,Dharam paaji, Amit ji, Jaya ma'am, Hema malini will always be remembered for this and indeed the Sippy family and production, Divecha saab, Thank you for this masterpiece.
Sholay was released 30 years ago I was even born. I have seen Sholay in numerous times, reading this was a fortune. Hari bhai, Asrani saab, McMohan, Amjad bhai,Dharam paaji, Amit ji, Jaya ma'am, Hema malini will always be remembered for this and indeed the Sippy family and production, Divecha saab, Thank you for this masterpiece.
June 27, 2014
Nice account of making of movie, with little tidbits about crew and cast that movie lovers will find interesting. One of the greatest hindi movie, how it was conceived and made, is deserved to be known and that job has been done well by India's leading film critic
Read
November 21, 2014Must read for all Indian movie buffs. Lot of interesting trivia information for Sholay fans. I wish there were more details about certain things but still good indian cinema literature which is so rare to find
June 3, 2012
A compulsive quick read (hardly 100 pages) with delightful details - anecdotes about this cult Indian movie of all time!
A must read for all Sholay fanatics & afficiodios!
A must read for all Sholay fanatics & afficiodios!
September 25, 2012
Fun read on an iconic movie.
February 4, 2013
An in-depth look into the making of Indian Cinema's most loved film. Well researched and brilliantly presented. A must for all fans of the film and cinema in general.
January 14, 2014
Superfast timepass read.
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