Sholay's Uncut Version With Original Ending To Screen In Italy, Amitabh Bachchan And Dharmendra REACT

News18

7 hours ago

Sholay Uncut Version: Restored Sholay with original ending and deleted scenes to premiere at Italy's Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, marking 50 years of the iconic Bollywood film.
An iconic piece of Indian cinema history is set to return to the big screen — this time, in its original, uncut form. The legendary film Sholay, directed by Ramesh Sippy and first released in 1975, will have its world premiere on June 27 in Bologna, Italy, as part of the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival.
The special screening will take place at Piazza Maggiore, an open-air venue known for showcasing film classics. This restored version includes the original ending — in which Thakur kills Gabbar Singh — that was removed from the original theatrical cut following directions from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It also features never-before-seen deleted scenes.
The restoration, a joint project between Film Heritage Foundation and Sippy Films Pvt. Ltd., marks the film's 50th anniversary and aims to present Sholay as it was first intended.
Amitabh Bachchan, who starred in the film, recalled the emotional journey during its release. '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 said, as reported in SCREEN.
Veteran actor Dharmendra described Sholay as 'the eighth wonder of the world". He added, '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."
Producer Shehzad Sippy shared that bringing the original cut back to life took three years of effort. 'It's been a labour of love to resurrect the film and this is a tribute to the vision and the legacy of my grandfather GP Sippy. I can't wait for Sholay to begin its new lease of life."
The film's cast also included Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini. With this premiere, Sholay begins a fresh chapter as it gets ready to captivate new generations of global audiences.
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