Sholay writer Javed Akhtar opens up about the original plot as the film nears its 50th anniversary

With an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Amjad Singh, Sanjeev Kumar and several others, Sholay had hit the theatres on August 15, 1975, but it did not pick up immediately. Its cult status only came about in a slow and steady pace once the audience started relaying about the film through word of mouth. And the rest is history! Written by duo Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, Sholay now enters its 50^th year in 2025 and Akhtar spills the beans on the original plot, which was seemingly very different from the movie that has actually been made.

Sholay was not supposed to have a Basanti and Radha, says writer Javed Akhtar

Sholay was initially supposed to be a story of two sacked army men along with a powerful dacoit recalled Javed Akhtar. “ But then we had limitations from the army and we couldn't take liberty, hence we changed the characters to a cop and (two) hoodlums," he added. In fact, the shocking revelation was that, “We didn't think of Basanti or Radha, we just had a dacoit in mind. But gradually when the story got developed a lot of characters came into the picture and we felt it could be a great multi-starrer. We did not plan it as a multi-starrer, and a grand spectacle."

Directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, Sholay is known for its iconic dialogues, unbreakable friendship, and powerful villains who still remains etched on top of everyone’s minds. But the team and the writers did not intend to make a ‘timeless’ film from the get go. They definitely wanted to make an entertainer. That this entertainer would surpass all records and gain cult status was not fathomed by anybody.

Akhtar says, “I believe the canvas of the film was such that it just became timeless; it was not done intentionally. There was no deliberate attempt to do that (make it timeless). It had a sargam of human emotions, whether it is vendetta, spoken or unspoken love, friendship, simplicity of the village, smartness of two urban hoodlums.” He adds, “Any product of art which is relevant in their own times and in the other times, and has timeless quality to it, irrespective of the changes in the industry over the years, that piece of art remains relevant”

With movies like Sholay , Deewar and Aandhi releasing in the year 1975, not only was the year counted as the golden year of Hindi cinema, but also as the year which changed the life of Akhtar. “With the release of ‘Deewar' and ‘Sholay', we earned money, garnered recognition, and made a name for ourselves. So the year 1975 was an important year”.

Would Akhtar have re-written it differently now? To which he answers, “I would not change anything in ‘Sholay'. I would never rewrite ‘Sholay.” But he does leave a piece of his wit and humour about Jai and Veeru’s profession, “They would be in the corporate world. They are so badmaash where else would they go?”

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