"In 1975, Indian cinema released one of its greatest films, Ramesh Sippy's "Sholay." For this young grade-schooler, watching it with my parents in Chicago's Arie Crown theater, it was among the most captivating movie experiences of my life. Fifty years later, I'm sure every South Asian man of my generation still remembers "Sholay" with the most fondness. A local officer, Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), hires two small-time convicts, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra), to capture the renegade scoundrel Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan)."
"Overtly, the film is a Western, written and produced not long after the rise of the Italian Spaghetti Westerns, taking inspiration from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." While it did inspire a trend of loading big movies with multiple major stars, it did not inspire copycat Westerns. It is, at times, a screwball comedy, paying silly homage to Charlie Chaplin. Its songs are among the most memorable of their era, performed off-camera by the great Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, among others."
In 1975 Ramesh Sippy's Sholay became a landmark of Indian cinema. Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh hires two small-time convicts, Jai and Veeru, to capture the renegade Gabbar Singh. The convicts prove crafty, fall in love with local women Radha and Basanti, and pursue a series of adventures before confronting Gabbar. Gabbar is portrayed as a sadistic villain who amputates victims and kills henchmen. The film blends Western influences, screwball comedy, and memorable songs performed by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. The ending includes a twist and tragedy that affected a generation and encouraged multi-star casting without spawning copycat Westerns.
Read at Roger Ebert
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