Apart from creating a sensation in the history of cinema, Sholay has also left an enduring mark on stars across generations.
As the iconic film completed 50 years on Friday (15/08/25), 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 written by the iconic 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 Baldev Singh, Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh, Hema Malini as Basanti, and Jaya Bachchan as Radha.
Salman, son of Salim Khan, fondly recalled his first memories of seeing the film. "We have 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," Salman told PTI.
For Sunny, Sholay is a source of immense pride as it is a film that became one of India's most-watched and also his father Dharmendra's finest work. He said that when he saw the film, he was going abroad for studies. “I'd seen the trial of the film. My father is so good; he is the best actor, according to me because of the kind of work he has done. When it was released, the business was dull, but later it picked up, and we still talk about Sholay. Every character in that film is very prominent. It is the most-watched film in India," Sunny said.
His younger brother, actor Bobby, shared his childhood experience of being on the sets in Bengaluru, where the film was shot. “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," Bobby told PTI.
The actor said that he has seen the four-hour “unedited” version of the film "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," he said.
Farhan Akhtar, son of veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, said Sholay shaped his love for mainstream cinema, praising it as a rare film where every character, no matter how small, remains unforgettable.
"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," Farhan told PTI.
"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," the actor-filmmaker said, adding that Sholay doesn't look dated even today and that technically it was a superior film.
Amitabh Bachchan's actor son Abhishek described Sholay as a seminal moment in Indian cinema.
He said that both his father and mother, Jaya Bachchan, who starred in the film, rarely talk about its past glory at home.
"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," Abhishek told PTI.
Sholay has left an indelible mark on filmmakers like Sooraj Barjatya, Karan Johar, Prakash Jha and many other actors. Sooraj recounted the efforts taken to make Sholay and how the passion of the makers has inspired him.
"I remember when the film was released, in the first four days, it was considered a failure, but the conviction of the makers in the film was tremendous," Sooraj told PTI.
"What I take back from Sholay is pure passion and conviction, like they made action into poetry, and how they took the chance to portray the dacoit the way they did, and that one hero will die in the end," he added.
Karan agreed with Sooraj and said his cinematic roots were shaped by watching classics like Sholay.
"I was fortunate to watch Sholay in its first run, though in its sixth year. It was in 1979. I was seven years old, and I watched it in the Minerva cinema, with a full house on a Sunday morning. I believe we are empowered because of these masters that gave us that legacy,” Karan told PTI.
Prakash said he watched Sholay and was enchanted by the world-building of Salim-Javed.
"And who can ever forget Gabbar? All of them were Gabbar Singh's dialogues. It became such a big craze. Even today, we keep using it. Like in office days, someone says, 'Tera kya hoga Kaalia?'” he said.
