How Dharmendra became Veeru just for Hema Malini and earned Sholay's biggest paycheck

Dharmendra passed away at the age of 89, leaving generations of Bollywood fans with a bittersweet ache. For those who grew up watching him light up the screen, revisiting Sholay now feels like opening a cherished time capsule — a film that didn’t just entertain, but reshaped the very landscape of Indian cinema.

For starters, his character Veeru almost didn't exist. Dharmendra reportedly balked at Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay script and wanted to play Thakur. However, Sippy convinced him to do Veeru, as he would win Hema Malini in the end. The Dharmendra- Hema Malini romance had just begun, and there was already a love triangle brewing on the set as Kumar, too, had proposed to Hema Malini.

And just like that, Veeru was born, and cinema history was made.

Speaking of history, Dharmendra’s paycheck for Sholay remains the stuff of legend. While the film’s star-studded cast—Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan—made waves on screen, it was Dharmendra who took home the heftiest sum: Rs 1.5 lakh for Veeru, compared to Amitabh’s Rs 1 lakh for Jai. Talk about commanding your worth!

And another fact: Amitabh Bachchan wasn’t the first pick. Shatrughan Sinha spilled the beans to Aaj Tak: “I was offered Amitabh Bachchan’s role in Sholay… I tried to take out dates for the film but I was doing so many films. I feel that I should have done that film. But I also feel happy for Amitabh Bachchan, who got such a big break.”