Sholay's restored version set for world premiere in Italy this Friday

India Today

7 hours ago

An uncut version of the newly restored version of Ramesh Sippy's blockbuster 'Sholay' is set for its world premiere at the annual Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Italy on June 27. To commemorate the film's 50th anniversary, the uncut version of the film, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, will show the original ending, where Gabbar Singh is killed by Thakur instead of getting arrested by the police.advertisementApart from the original ending, many previously deleted scenes will also be featured in the movie. The film was first released on August 15, 1975. The restored version, a collaborative effort by Film Heritage Foundation and Sippy Films Pvt. Ltd., brings back the film as it was originally intended. The original ending was reportedly removed following the Central Board of Film Certification's orders.
A still from Sholay's deleted scene. (Credit: Instagram / Old Is Gold)
With the film's world premiere, actor Amitabh Bachchan shared a press note describing, 'shooting for the film was an unforgettable experience.'
'At the time, I had no idea that it would be a watershed for Indian cinema. Its dramatic change in fortunes, from being declared an unsuccessful venture, to its record-breaking box office run was an emotional rollercoaster for all of us. I hope that even 50 years later, the film will capture the imagination of new audiences across the world,' he further added.advertisementDharmendra, one of the lead actors of 'Sholay', described it as 'the eighth wonder of the world.' He shared his excitement about the film's restoration, saying, 'I am thrilled to hear that the film is being restored, and I am sure it will have the same success as it had 50 years ago. Who can forget the dialogues of Salim-Javed and the direction of Ramesh Sippy? So many scenes have gone down in the history of Indian cinema and every character became a star. But the real hero was the coin. My favourite scenes were the tanki scene, the scene in the temple, and so many others, but the most powerful scene I feel was the death of Jai, which is still etched in my mind,' as per Variety. The iconic cast of the film also featured Sanjeev Kumar of 'Anamika', Jaya Bachchan of 'Silsila', and Hema Malini of 'Dream Girl'.Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation, spoke about the challenging restoration process of 'Sholay'. He said, 'Despite the fact that we could not use the original camera negative and that not a single 70mm print survives, we have left no stone unturned to ensure that this historic film has been beautifully restored. I can't wait to watch the film in the open air in the Piazza in Bologna along with thousands of cinephiles from around the world," Variety reported.Must Watch