Ramesh Sippy’s evergreen film Sholay is one of those movies that has aged really well. It goes without saying that the movie greatly endeared the audience when it was released back in 1975 but almost 50 years later, it has stood the test of time and remains relevant even today. The unique Western-style depiction of the narrative, the dialogues and the characters enthrall audiences even today which makes Sholay an instant hit in television reruns. After half a century, it kind of feels impossible to imagine other actors in the characters immortalised in Sholay but there is an interesting trivia about the casting of the film.
Do you know that Dharmendra, who played Veeru in the film, originally wanted to play the role of Sanjeev Kumar’s Thakur as he thought the role was meatier? It was only because he was enamoured by Hema Malini then that he agreed to play Veeru. Sholay was made at a time when both Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar were vying for Hema Malini’s attention. Sanjeev Kumar had already proposed marriage to Hema Malini but the actress had not reciprocated his feelings. On the other hand, Dharmendra was also in love with Hema Malini.
When Dharmendra told director Ramesh Sippy that he wanted to play the role of Thakur, the filmmaker informed him that in doing so, he would pass over the role of Veeru to Sanjeev Kumar who would be romancing Hema Malini in the film. This made Dharmendra change his mind as he did not want Hema Malini to be paired opposite Sanjeev Kumar. He promptly accepted the role of Veeru. Sholay also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Amjad Khan as the menacing Gabbar Singh.
Dharmendra and Hema Malini starred together in many other films like Dream Girl, Seeta Aur Geeta, Tum Haseen Main Jawaan and Dillagi among others. The pair ultimately married in the year 1980. They have two daughters Esha and Ahana.
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