Sholay at 50: Sachin Pilgaonkar: ‘Ramesh Sippy encouraged me to be a director by involving me behind the camera'

Hindustan Times

15 hours ago

At 17, Sachin Pilgaonkar embarked on a journey with Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Dharmendra to bring the story of Sholay alive on the big screen. Today, he credits the film for shaping his career and sparking his interest in direction. He shared that filmmaker Ramesh Sippy motivated him by giving him direction experience during the film's production. Apart from Ramesh Sippy's Sholay, Sachin Pilgaonkar was also part of Ram Gopal Varma's version of Sholay which released in 2007.
On Sholay's legacy
Sachin played the character of Ahmed in Sholay. Looking at the impact of Sholay, Sachin shares, 'I am very glad that Sholay is completing 50 years tomorrow and also happy that it is still so fresh. It gives me hope that the film will remain fresh even 50 years from now.'
'I owe a lot to Sholay and Ramesh Sippy. First of all, for casting me in the film because it is a very valuable thing to be a part of Sholay,' he adds.
On Sholay's iconic characters
The film starred Amitabh and Dharmendra as Jai and Veeru, with Hema Malini as Basanti. Written by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the film also featured Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Jaya Bachchan, Iftekhar, AK Hangal, Jagdeep, Asrani, Mac Mohan, and Viju Khote.
Sachin believes the success of Sholay can be attributed to its well-crafted and memorable characters, which have become an integral part of Indian cinema's heritage.
'Salim sahab and Javed sahab have given importance to each and every character. Every character has a spine. Because of that spine, all the people are remembered. It is very easy for people to remember Thakur, Jai, Veeru, Basanti or Gabbar… But people remember other characters too. That's because a lot of thought has been put in while writing the characters. That is the main success of Sholay,' Sachin notes.
On going behind the camera
According to Sachin, Ramesh Sippy encouraged his directorial dreams during Sholay's production. During the filming, Sachin was asked to oversee the second unit alongside Amjad Khan. This experience had a lasting impact on his career.
Calling Ramesh Sippy as his guru, Sachin shares, 'When he came to know that I have this dream of becoming a director one day in my life, he encouraged me and was so supportive. When he decided to make his second unit for only action sequences, he selected me and Amjad bhai to overlook as he was busy working on the main sequences.'
'To select a 17 year old boy for this job was a very big thing. He showed a lot of confidence and that made me very confident in my life and in my approach… I became a part of his direction department,' he shares.
Another experience that stands out was when the team struggled to find level bottles for the camera dolly on outdoor shoots. Sachin managed to source them from Crawford Market in Mumbai, and the team's joy when he returned with the bottles was palpable.
'These are the very important and valuable memories I have not only being in front of them, but also behind the camera,' Sachin shares.
On being part of RGV's Sholay
In fact, Sachin was also part of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007) alongside Mohanlal, Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Prashant Raj Sachdev, and Sushmita Sen. The film was an adaptation of Sholay. During the chat, Sachin confessed that the film should not have been made.
'I don't think one must touch the film again. I think even Ram Gopal Verma should have made that sir. That's my honest opinion. I did not realise it when he was making the film. Because unless and until maker makes it, you can't opine on anything. So after he made, everyone unanimously felt that he shouldn't have made it,' he said while wrapping up.