An all-time classic
Sholay - the greatest Bollywood film of all time - brought together the acting talents of some of the biggest stars in Bollywood at that time. The two male leads, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, were already hugely popular. Amitabh Bhachchan had just made his big breakthrough the previous year (1974) with Zanjeer. Dharmendra was already well established and had starred in the box office smash hit Yaadon Ki Baaraat (a film which sadly doesn't get very many mentions when talking of classics). These two are supported in the film by Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan making his onscreen debut as the menacing villain Gabbar Singh.
The story is about a retired police officer Thakur Baldev Singh (Sangeev Kumar) living in a village that is being terrorised by Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Thakur recruits two small time crooks Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jaidev (Amitabh), whom he had encountered during his work in the force, to capture Gabbar. The film has various...
Amazon Qualiton Edition - Sholay (DVD)
Sholay is a phenomenon... I rate it as the best Indian movie ever made and one that can compete head-to-head with any other movie in the world, Hollywood releases included! Theatrically screened in 1975, it is timeless... not even for once you feel that there's anything dated, everything looks contemporary - and this is no mean achievement!
Every single character is etched out optimally and you remember ALL of them after the movie. Howzzat!
The music is memorable, it complements and enhances the myriad of moods and sequences and emotions and drama in Sholay (Embers) - whether it's the terror and ruthlesslessness of the villain, the dacoit Gabbar; the unspoken romance between one of the two heroes Jai and the widow Radha; the flirtation between the other hero Veeru and the "tangewaali" (coach driver) Basanti; the angst, lionheartedness and the bravery of Thakur, a landlord and an ex-police officer who recruits Jai and Veeru, two small-time crooks, to capture...
Needs a proper restoration....Criterion, anyone?
I tried to watch this DVD, and I had to stop. First, this film was shot in 70mm, and the DVD is pan and scan. Not good. Second, the songs weren't subtitled! Not good. And, thirdly, there are so many versions out there. How long was the actual film? 204 minutes? 280? Most people who have seen the entire thing have said it's magnificent. It's regarded as one of the greatest Bollywood films ever made, and we should be able to see it in all its uncut, widescreen, subtitled glory. Criterion should release something like this. They have never done a Bollywood film, and this is an important one, so it fits, excuse the pun, their criterion.
Click to Editorial Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment