Sholay at 50: From Rs 10,000 paychecks to Dharmendra-Hema romance and real bullets—7 legends behind the classic

You don’t have to have lived in the ’70s to feel the weight a single word carries: Sholay. Fifty years have passed, and half a century of stories—some legendary, some hair-raising—have grown around this cult classic. From casting surprises and daring shooting choices to near-death experiences on set and an initially lukewarm box office, Sholay has earned its place as a cornerstone of Indian cinema.

Here are 7 anecdotes surrounding the film:

1) The casting of Gabbar Singh

Before Gabbar Singh became the meme-worthy villain we all know today, the role had a very different story. Danny Denzongpa was originally tapped for the part but dropped out of Sholay to work on Dharmatma, leaving director Ramesh Sippy in a panic. Enter Amjad Khan: a relatively unknown, theatre-trained actor hungry for a breakthrough. Salim Khan encouraged him, saying, “Ramesh Sippy will have the final say, but it’s a brilliant role. You can try your luck.”

Amjad Khan met Sippy, who found his face “interesting,” and suggested a beard. Khan threw himself into the role with relentless passion, researching dacoits via Jaya Bhaduri’s father’s book Abhishapta Chambal, practicing with his pregnant wife Shaila, and even borrowing the cadence of a childhood washerman’s call—turning “Arre o Shanti” into the immortal “Arre o Sambha.”

He memorised every line, grew the beard, blackened his teeth, and aced the audition.

2) The salary of Salim-Javed

The legendary duo, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar who gifted Indian cinema some of the most erstwhile gems, received Rs 10,000 as a signing amount.

3) Dharmendra as Thakur?

Dharmendra wanted to play the role of Thakur after hearing the script. However, Ramesh Sippy convinced Dharmendra to play Veeru, explaining that if the roles were swapped, Sanjeev Kumar would get 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.

4) Salim Khan insisted on Amitabh Bachchan for Jai’s character

Salim Khan wanted Amitabh Bachchan for Jai in Sholay. Initially, there was resistance, but he held a trial for Zanjeer, which erased all doubts. Dharmendra, too, pushed for Bachchan.

5) 23 days of shooting the Thakur massacre

The most searing scenes of Sholay, where Gabbar Singh massacres Thakur’s family was shot in 23 days, over three schedules

6) Real bullets were used

In a lively episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 12, Bachchan was chatting with contestant CRPF DIG Preet Mohan Singh, who confessed he was a huge fan of Sholay. The contestant uggested that in the film’s climax, Dharmendra could have grabbed more ammunition—possibly saving Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic character, Vijay.

 Big B shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote from that very scene: Dharmendra was “down below” while Amitabh Bachchan perched on top of the hill. “Dharam ji opens a chest and picks up the ammunition. He did it once and was unable to pick up the bullets, did it again and failed again. Dharam ji got very irritated. I don’t know what he did, he put the cartridge in the gun and they were real bullets!” Big B recalled.

He continued, “Dharmendra was so irritated about not getting the scene right that he fired the gun. I heard a ‘whoosh’ sound as the bullet went past my ear while I was standing on the hill. He had fired a real bullet. Main bach gaya (I was unhurt). So yes, there were many such incidents during the film.”

7) The famous Tanki scene

The scene were Viru climbs on top of a water tank and threatens to die by suicide, hadn't been written yet. Javed Akhtar wrote it in the car on the way to the Bengaluru airport. His assistant proof-read it for him, while he wrote the scene on paper, on the hood of his car.