Sholay

Few classics of Indian cinema are as exhilarating as Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 hit Sholay, presented here on its 50th anniversary. One of the foremost examples of the dacoit western, the film follows two ne’er-do-wells, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), who are recruited by an old frenemy Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar), a principled cop whose life they saved but who tried to bust them anyway. Thakur believes the duo possess the fighting skills to rid his village of the villain Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan).

Along the way, our duo find love, humiliate a tin-pot dictator of a warden, offer up a lovely tune on male camaraderie, engage in one of the greatest opening fight scenes ever, and take part in an outlandish climactic battle. And despite the fact that most of the action takes place in a poor remote village, the heroes seem able to access an unlimited supply of denim leisure suits.

Riffing off Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns, Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai films, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Sholay also seems to have influenced Hong Kong action titles; there are numerous moments that would snap easily into John Woo’s The Killer. And it still somehow manages to address more serious issues like non-violence, rogue masculinity, and when it’s time to grow up and settle down. A genuine marvel.

Co-presented by TIFF Classics

Restored in 4K in 2025 by Film Heritage Foundation in collaboration with Sippy Films at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, from an interpositive, two-colour reversal intermediates and a second generation interpositive from 1978 provided by Sippy Films and preserved by Film Heritage Foundation. Audio restored from the original sound negative and the magnetic soundtrack preserved by Film Heritage Foundation. This restoration of the film in 4K includes the original ending as well as two deleted scenes and with the original 70mm aspect ratio of 2.2:1.

Content advisory: animal abuse