On August 30, 2024, the Film Heritage Foundation held a special one-time screening of an almost 50-year-old vintage cinemascope print of the blockbuster Sholay (1975) at the iconic Regal cinema in Mumbai. The entry was totally free and on a first come first serve basis. On August 29, some viewers were also given a chance to book the tickets on BookMyShow.
Sholay’s special screening at Regal cinema: Audiences dance to ‘Mehbooba’; sing ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge’; Javed Akhtar says film is better than The Godfather, Star Wars: “An actor got a career simply by saying ‘Poore pachaas hazaar’”
The screening was held at 5:30 pm and this writer reached Regal at 5:00 pm. As expected, there was a serpentine queue of excited moviegoers to enter the theatre. Booking on BookMyShow was of no use as no tickets were checked. It was free seating and viewers rushed to get the best seats in the stalls as the balcony was out of bounds for the common moviegoer. Some moviegoers got mental trauma at the canteen as the staff accepted payment only in cash. Those with no money in their pockets and hoping to buy snacks using UPI were in for a rude shock!
Standing ovation given to Salim-Javed, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar @Javedakhtarjadu, at the screening of #Sholay at Regal cinema, Mumbai pic.twitter.com/tPEGZJZPIL
— Fenil Seta (@fenil_seta) August 31, 2024
Soon, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar entered the auditorium and moviegoers cheered for them. But the maximum cheers happened when they were called on stage by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the FHF. Salim Khan, despite his old age, talked briefly to the audience.
Javed Akhtar took the mic and revealed, “When we wrote Sholay, we had no idea that it’s going to be a big film. You see, when we started we didn’t even know if the film would be cast. As the screenplay developed, we realized that we could have many stars. It was not planned to be a multi-starrer. Perhaps that is the beauty of it. It had an organic growth.”
He continued, “Sorry for my immodesty! There have been films like The Godfather, Star Wars, Gone With The Wind, etc. where people remember many characters. But the list of characters of Sholay, who are remembered even after 50 years, is much longer!” As expected, the audience clapped at his headline-grabbing statement.
Javed Akhtar then proved his point, “There have been actors who have got a complete career simply by saying ‘Poore pachaas hazaar’ or ‘Sardar, maine aapka namak khaya hai’! Also, the mausi; I can’t remember any heroine’s mausi being remembered ever!” This quote brought the house down.
He added, “Somewhere, magic was created but it’s not just created by us. It’s somewhere between us and the audience.”
He ended his statement by remarking, “My daughter Zoya told me about the long queue outside the theatre. I told her, ‘Mujhe lagta hai ki ab picture chal jaayegi’!”
Zoya Akhtar and Namrata Rao, who produced and directed Angry Young Men respectively, came on stage and thanked the audience.
Superb reaction to the entry scenes of @SrBachchan, @aapkadharam and Asrani at the re-release of #Sholay at Regal Cinema. They also sing ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge’ while its being played on screen@FHF_Official pic.twitter.com/v9ziJ2scd2
— Fenil Seta (@fenil_seta) August 31, 2024
Time for Sholay
Immediately, the lights were dimmed and the old print of Sholay came to life. The first few seconds were blurry and even the sound was low. We feared the worst but soon, the print and the sound both improved. There were a lot of hoots when the cast names were mentioned. But the maximum hoots were reserved for mega star Amitabh Bachchan! It was heartening to see people also cheering for lyricist Anand Bakshi, music director R D Burman, director Ramesh Sippy and above all, writer duo Salim-Javed!
The whistling and hooting continued for key scenes like the train fight scene, entry scenes of Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), Veeru (Dharmendra), the jailer (Asrani), Basanti (Hema Malini) and also Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Another memorable aspect of the screening was people singing ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge’ when it was played on screen. And during ‘Mehbooba O Mehbooba’, the audience started dancing on the aisles!
To conclude
The screening, in short, was a super-hit. Here’s hoping many more screenings of Sholay are planned, especially when the film turns 50 next year.
Superb reaction during the dialogue of Kaalia and intermission point at #Sholay screening at Regal Cinema, Mumbai@FHF_Official pic.twitter.com/4BNOj6ffxw
— Fenil Seta (@fenil_seta) August 31, 2024
Also Read: 50 Years of Sholay: Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar get standing ovation from audience at special screening, watch
More Pages: Sholay Box Office Collection
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