Love in the time of Gabbar: A real-life romance born on Sholay set; neither Dharmendra-Hema Malini, nor Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bahaduri

Indian Express

a day ago

Whenever we speak of Sholay, the conversations usually orbit around the cinematic grandeur of Ramesh Sippy's vision, the sheer grit it took to bring the film to life, or the now-legendary fact that it was declared a flop in its first three days before becoming one of Indian cinema's greatest blockbusters. We recall the wit of Salim–Javed, who predicted the film's longevity with uncanny accuracy. We retell the on-set gossip — Sanjeev Kumar's heartbreak over losing Hema Malini to Dharmendra, Dharmendra and Hema's blooming romance, and the quiet love between Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri.
But tucked away in the dusty lanes of Ramanagara — the rocky hamlet transformed into the fictional Ramgarh — lies another love story. One that never made it to the silver screen, yet bloomed right alongside the making of this cinematic giant.
Ramanagara itself has a history. Before it became synonymous with Sholay, it had been renamed several times, carrying with it the memories of changing rulers and eras. When the film crew from Mumbai arrived in the early 1970s, they travelled in bullock carts, surveying the land for the perfect setting. Over the next two years, they built not just sets but a world — one where villagers and film folk mingled, where Bollywood's magic seeped into everyday life.
And in that mingling, two lives quietly intertwined.
Shankar Gowda, a young man from Karnataka's Humnabad, was part of the Sholay crew. His responsibility was to manage the set and the resources that kept the sprawling production alive. Shantha Gowda was a local schoolgirl, curious about the constant bustle, the strangers from Mumbai, and the magic of a film shoot. She would come by to watch, never imagining that these visits would change the course of her life.
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Shankar noticed her. Conversations began and affection followed. Soon, they both knew they wanted to marry — but like in Sholay, where Veeru couldn't win Basanti without Mausi's blessing, Shankar couldn't take Shantha's hand without her mother's consent.
'I was studying at that time when I met Shankar. We developed feelings for each other. He proposed to me, but how could we take any decision without the permission of our parents? So I told Shankar to come home and speak to my mother. And he did.'
One day, Shankar arrived at Shantha's home with a couple of his friends from the crew. Polite, respectful, and earnest, he asked her mother for her hand. Like any traditional matriarch (or Sholay's Mausi), she had questions — about his family, his background, job stability. Learning that he too was from Karnataka and held steady work, she agreed.
And so, in a poetic twist of fate, they built a mandapa for their wedding right there — on the Sholay set. In the shadow of the rocky hills and in the presence of villagers and crew, Shankar and Shantha tied the knot.
'Our marriage was more like love-cum-arranged marriage. I completed my SSLC (10th grade). I must have been 16 when I got married. Shankar was 20 at that time. Even after our marriage, we stayed in Ramanagara for 2 years. Later, due to his work in the film line, we moved to Mumbai and now it has been over 40 years since we have been living here,' recalled Shantha.
Over the decades, the couple's love weathered everything life threw at them. They raised five children — three daughters and two sons — all of whom are now married, giving them a bustling family of over 20, with grandchildren in school.
'They are all married today. I even have grandchildren now. We are now a family of over 20 people. My grandsons are in 12th and 8th grade', she exclaimed.
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But their journey wasn't without hardship. Years ago, Shankar suffered paralysis, forcing him to leave work. 'It was a hard time,' Shantha admits. 'But with medication, he slowly began to walk again. Today, we are just grateful to see him up and moving. We're old now… life has slowed, but we are together.'
Every year, they return to Ramanagara with the entire family, staying at Shantha's late mother's home. 'My mother is gone, but her house still stands. We go, we stay, we remember.'
As we spoke, we asked her if she has photographs from the wedding — the moment when two real lives merged on a fictional set. She sighed. 'We had them… but they were at my mother's house, and over time, they were lost or misplaced. I do have a picture of Shankar from his Sholay days, though. The wedding pictures… maybe they're still somewhere in Ramanagara.'
Some love stories are captured in frames. Others live in memory. While Sholay gave us Jai, Veeru, Basanti, and Gabbar… in the hills of Ramanagara, it also gave us Shankar and Shantha.