Ramesh Sippy: Not really keen to remake Sholay

Bollywood has been obsessed with remakes of cult films and blockbusters but filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, who gave Indian cinema one of its biggest gems, Sholay, does not favour the idea of his 45-year-old classic being recreated.

"I am not really keen to recreate Sholay unless one can imagine a way to represent it in a very different way. Otherwise, remaking is something I would not like to do as far Sholay is considered. It does not mean that I am against remakes — many films have been remade beautifully but it's not that easy. It's how you recreate the whole world of a particular film and genre (that matters)," Ramesh said.

An attempt to recreate Sholay was made by Ram Gopal Varma in 2007, with Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. However, RGV's attempt was universally rejected and the film failed at box office.

Ramesh Sippy's Sholay starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan. Today, the film is primarily remembered for Amjad Khan's iconic performance as the film's arch villain, dacoit Gabbar Singh.

Recalling the memories of Sholay, Sippy shared that it was extremely challenging to helm such a masterpiece back in the day. "From making so many actors work together to involving high-octane action sequences and introducing people to the concept of a 70mm screen, creating Sholay was a huge challenge. I am glad that our efforts did not go in vain. People liked our film, appreciated it and even 45 years later, they still talk about it. It feels great to be associated with such a remarkable project," he added.

Sholay apart, Ramesh Sippy made several other big-ticket Bollywood films such as Andaz, Seeta Aur Geeta, Shaan, Shakti, and Saagar. He is also known for his 80s serial, Buniyaad, which is currently being re-telecast on Doordarshan amid the coronavirus lockdown. Written by Manohar Shyam Joshi, the show is a family saga based in the time of India-Pakistan Partition.