5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
From carpet seller to cinematic icon; GP Sippy's journey from partition survivor to 'Sholay' producer
Gopaldas Parmanand Sippy, better known as GP Sippy, wasn't always a Bollywood name. Born into affluence in Karachi, the Partition of 1947 abruptly changed everything.
Forced from his roots, GP Sippy rebuilt his life in Bombay
Fleeing overnight with his family, Sippy arrived in Bombay (now Mumbai) with almost nothing.
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Although he was once a man surrounded by wealth, he now had to grapple with survival in a new city.
From opening a modest restaurant to selling carpets, he explored every possible avenue to get by. Eventually, he found steady work in construction by helping build some of Bombay's earliest apartment buildings. Interestingly one of which happened to be for actress Nargis Dutt.
How construction led to cinema and a lifelong passion
It was during the Nargis Dutt project that GP Sippy's interest in films took root.
Fascinated by the world of cinema, he tried his hand at acting and eventually turned to production. His first film as a producer was 'Sazaa' in 1953. While the film didn't become a blockbuster, it ignited a love for filmmaking that would span decades. Over time, Sippy produced multiple films. Sadly his work was often dismissed as B-grade.
Refusing to give up, he brought his son,
, home from the London School of Economics to breathe new life into their production house.
The Game-Changer: ' Sholay ' and a new legacy
Everything changed in 1975 with 'Sholay'. Directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by the legendary Salim, Javed, 'Sholay' became a defining moment in Indian cinema. GP Sippy, the man once homeless after Partition, had now produced one of the most iconic films in the country's history. The iconic film featured a powerhouse cast including
, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri,
, and Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh. GP Sippy passed away in 2007.
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