Portal:Hindi cinema/Selected article/11

Sholay is an Indian action-adventure film produced by G. P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered by the Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema to be among the greatest films in Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra (pictured), Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan. The film, shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, Karnataka, follows two criminals who are hired to capture a ruthless dacoit named Gabbar Singh. The film drew its plot heavily from the conventions of Westerns. When first released, Sholay opened to a tepid response, but owing to word of mouth promotion it soon became a box office phenomenon. It ran for 286 weeks straight (more than five years) in a theatre in Mumbai and achieved a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees (50 consecutive weeks) across India. It is the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver jubilee (25 weeks) in over a hundred theaters across India. The Indian Central Board of Film Certification initially mandated cuts of several scenes involving violence and death. As such, Sholay was released with a length of 188 minutes. After 15 years, the original director's cut of 204 minutes was made available.