Sholay’s Gabbar Singh: The making of Bollywood’s most iconic villain

Released on August 15, 1975, Sholay went on to dominate conversations about Indian cinema for decades — and at the heart of its enduring legacy stood Gabbar Singh, Bollywood’s most infamous villain. Played with chilling brilliance by Amjad Khan, Gabbar was more than just a dacoit on screen; he became the embodiment of fear, cruelty, and charisma rolled into one unforgettable character.

What made Gabbar Singh so terrifying, yet so magnetic, was the layered performance Khan delivered. His gravelly voice, pregnant pauses, and sinister laugh made simple lines like “Kitne aadmi the?” ( How many men were there?)  echo across generations. Unlike the suave or cartoonish villains of earlier eras, Gabbar felt raw and honest. His dusty attire, grimy face, and ruthless logic gave him a primal edge. He wasn’t just a character in a film — he became a cultural icon, symbolising unrestrained evil and the chaos it brings to a community.

Gabbar’s presence also redefined the hero–villain dynamic in Hindi cinema. In Sholay, the stakes were deeply personal — the villagers’ suffering, Thakur’s loss, and the quest for revenge gave Gabbar a menacing weight. He wasn’t just another antagonist to be defeated; he was the shadow that haunted every frame until his eventual downfall. Over the years, Bollywood has produced countless villains, but none have matched the menace or cultural imprint left by Gabbar Singh. His dialogues remain part of everyday language, his name synonymous with villainy itself.

Now, Sholay is set to return to the spotlight — with a twist that few in India have ever seen. At the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Sydney (October 9–11), a newly restored 4K version of the film will be screened, featuring director Ramesh Sippy’s original climax. In this version, Thakur kills Gabbar Singh in a brutal confrontation, a darker ending that was altered before the 1975 release due to censorship and distributor concerns. For decades, audiences were only familiar with the softer resolution, where Gabbar was handed over to the police.

The restoration project, carried out in collaboration with Sippy Films, unearthed rare negatives and prints from archives to present the film in its intended 70mm glory. Festival organisers say this isn’t just about a lost ending, but about giving audiences the full force of Sippy’s vision.

For fans, the re-release is more than nostalgia — it is the chance to meet Gabbar Singh again, in the form his creator first imagined: not captured and tamed, but vanquished in blood and fury. Nearly 50 years later, the villain who defined Bollywood will once again command the big screen, proving that Gabbar Singh’s shadow is truly timeless.