Unveiling Sholay: The Censored Climax and Amitabh Bachchan’s Gabbar Desire

The timeless classic ‘Sholay’ is set to be showcased at the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, highlighting its enduring impact on global cinema. Interestingly, the original ending of the film differed significantly from what viewers saw. Initially, the plan was for Thakur to kill Gabbar Singh, but this was altered due to censorship. The final version featured Jai’s death, and Thakur only managed to assault Gabbar. Amitabh Bachchan once expressed his desire to portray Gabbar Singh, revealing he pleaded with Salim-Javed to let him take on the role. The film features a star-studded cast including Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Hema Malini, and Jaya Bachchan, and was a massive success upon its release.