Salman Khan, Bobby Deol, Farhan Akhtar and others revisit legacy of Sholay on its 50th anniversary

 From childhood memories and family pride to the spark that shaped their love for cinema, Sholay has left an enduring mark on stars across generations. As the iconic film marks its silver jubilee on Friday, Salman Khan recalls listening to its dialogues on loop, Sunny Deol treasures his father Dharmendra’s turn as Veeru, Bobby Deol cherishes his days on set, and Farhan Akhtar calls it a rare film etched into India’s collective consciousness.

And for Abhishek Bachchan, whose parents starred in the classic, it remains a seminal moment in Indian cinema. Directed by Ramesh Sippy and penned by the iconic writer pair of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the 1975 action film redefined mainstream Hindi cinema with its unforgettable characters, gripping storytelling, and dialogues that became part of everyday conversation. It featured a stellar cast, which included Amitabh Bachchan as Jai, Dharmendra as Veeru, Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur, Hema Malini as Basanti, Jaya Bachchan as Radha and Amjad Khan as Gabbar.

Salman Khan fondly recalled his first memories of Sholay

“We’ve seen Sholay four to five times. There was a record (CD) of the dialogues of Sholay, that was in two parts. I remember we would keep listening to that often. Wherever we went, we would often hear songs or dialogues of Sholay being played around many people in their homes.” 

I was so lucky to be on the sets of Sholay, says Bobby Deol 

“I was so lucky to be on the sets of Sholay. I still remember those days, when they were shooting in Bangalore, we used to drive down to this village where it was shot. I was a big fan of Jaya ji and I used to keep her photo (with me). The whole cast was there, but I was excited to see her.” “I’ve seen the four-hour (long) version of it, unedited. I’ve seen so much more than others have seen, and I still remember all those moments. That film is like a landmark for people after it was made.” 

Our love for mainstream movies came from Sholay: Farhan Akhtar 

“All of us who have seen Sholay have been influenced by it on a subconscious level. Our love for mainstream movies came from Sholay. Also, it’s very rare for films to come along where you remember every single character, down to a guy who says one line; you remember the name of that person. It's very rare something like that happens.” “So, it’s now become a part of our collective consciousness. You can meet any Indian and start discussing Sholay. It’s like something that connects us in a weird way.” 

Abhishek Bachchan describes Sholay as a seminal moment in Indian cinema

“With my father, I know that he’s convinced he’s not done yet, so he doesn’t want to sit back on his rocking chair and talk about our times. His time is right now. And that’s the attitude every actor should have.”