Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has announced a touching tribute to the late Bollywood icon Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24. Sippy is dedicating the newly restored 4K version of his iconic film, Sholay – The Final Cut, to the actor who immortalized the character Veeru.
The restored version of Sholay was released in Indian cinemas this Friday, marking a more subdued theatrical return than initially planned.
A Subdued Celebration
Sippy revealed that the team had “some big plans” to rerelease the film in Indian cinemas to commemorate its 50th anniversary on August 15. However, the passing of Dharmendra, one of the film’s leading heroes, necessitated a change in approach.
“We will miss him (Dharmendra) dearly. Unfortunately, he passed away as did Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar in earlier times, then Asrani recently and others have also passed away. But, all their work will be there forever. So, they live through the film now,” the filmmaker said.
Sippy acknowledged that a major “splash” was no longer appropriate, choosing instead to focus on the film as a celebration of the cast’s lasting legacy. He believes the rerelease will bring Dharmendra’s brilliance to the forefront.
“His contribution—now that people will see the film—will come to the forefront. It will revive those memories, and we will say, ‘Oh God, he just passed away, and he has done wonders. The kind of enthusiasm like lines and character he brought in his way was amazing!”
Sippy recalled meeting the legendary actor recently, noting, “I did meet him once, but he was unwell but didn’t want to disturb him.”
The Uniqueness of Sholay
Even decades later, Sippy remains unable to pinpoint the exact secret to Sholay‘s enduring appeal across generations.
“Nobody can decode Sholay! There is something that connects the audience across generations and had I found the secret then would have made several Sholays by now!” he confessed.
He attributed the film’s class-apart status to the collective brilliance of its components: “Music, dance, friendship, romance, drama, action – everything was in abundance and the packaging was good. Salim-Javed’s writing, actors were marvellous in each role, R D Burman’s music – all put together brought out the best and my job was made easier because of that.”
Restoration and Global Showcase
The 4K version of the film was meticulously restored in Italy using advanced technology, allowing the team to modernize the print which originally used tough-to-handle technology like stereophonic sound and 70mm prints back in the 1970s.
Prior to its Indian release, the film was showcased internationally at the 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival (Canada). A planned premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa was unfortunately canceled in November due to reported “technical reasons.”