Sholay booked!

The ever-lasting appeal of one of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters Sholay is not limited to the celluloid alone. In fact, a few books across the years have kept the film buffs entertained with a pinch of flavour that sends them on a trek to Ramgarh. Cine-lovers, read on…

In film journalist Anupama Chopra’s Sholay: The Making of a Classic, she reveals the fascinating story of how a small story idea grew manifolds to attain cult status in the history of Indian cinema. The author goes on to describe Big B’s struggle to convince the Sippy’s to choose him over Shatrughan Sinha, Danny Denzongpa’s exit from the movie and Amjad Khan eventually getting to play Gabbar and the budding romance between Dharmendra and female lead Hema Malini. The book has an astounding range of over 60 photographs and is a must-read for all cinema lovers.

Books on Sholay have been a warehouse of information that give you an understanding of the myriad characters in the movie. Sholay, a Cultural Reading by W Dissanayake that was published in 1992, was a study of feature films in India and particularly focused on Sippy’s Sholay. The Moving Image: A Study of Indian Cinema by K Valicha, was one of the first serious film studies in India. The book that also focused on Sholay, dealt with an analysis of issues that distinguished Indian cinema to international cinema. The views on cinema that this book offers are enhanced by the author’s own fascination with films.

Interestingly, it does not stop at the movie inspiring literature. Gabbar Singh’s character itself has been inspired by a work of literature. In fact, Amjad Khan who played Gabbar prepared to play the bandit chief by reading a book called Abhishapth Chambal, which was penned by Taroon Bhaduri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri. The book told of the exploits of the dacoits who resided in the Chambal in central India.

By Sujata Chakrabarti