Dharmendra suggested Big B for Sholay, convinced Ramesh Sippy he'd be perfect
Veteran actor Dharmendra recently reminisced the time when he recommended Amitabh Bachchan to director Ramesh Sippy for the iconic film 'Sholay' (1975).Dharmendra, while recalling the casting of Jai for 'Sholay' mentioned that though he is not vocal about it, he did recommend Bachchan's name to Sippy.In an interview with ANI, he said, "It has already been mentioned. Yes, I recommended him... Mai to kehta nahi maine unko (Amitabh Bachchan) role dilaya.. (I never claimed that I got him the role of Jai.) Ye mujhe milne aate the Amitabh sahab (Mr Amitabh used to come to meet me).advertisement
To maine Ramesh Sippy ji ko kaha yeh naya ladka hai uski awaaz se to lagta hai bahut acha kaam karega...unki jo andar se chahna thi...jo khud se pyar karne ki khoobsurati thi vo achi lagi...(I told Ramesh Sippy that this new boy seems promising because of his voice...he had an inner desire...the beautiful quality to love himself, that impressed me)," Dharmendra added.The legendary icon further said, "Maine kaha inko lelo (So I told him to take him)."While praising the cult classic, Dharmendra said, "Yeh film mere khyayal se sadiyon ke liye ban gayi hai (This film will be there for centuries)."'Sholay' is the story about a village called Ramgarh, where retired police chief Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) plots to bring down the notorious bandit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan).advertisementHe hires two criminals, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) to eliminate Gabbar.Dharmendra gained popularity in the mid-1960s for films, such as 'Ayee Milan Ki Bela' (1964), Bandini (1963), Phool Aur Patthar and Aaye Din Bahar Ke.He was last seen in Shahid Kapoor-Kriti Sanon's 'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya' (2024).Dharmendra also featured in Karan Johar's romantic-drama 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani' (2023) with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt.He will next be seen in Sriram Raghavan's 'Ikkis' along with Agastya Nanda. The film is slated to hit the big screens on October 2, 2025.Must Watch
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