SHOLAY AT 50

I was a teenager when I first watched Sholay.

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Though, of course, I had grown up hearing praise of it. Believe it or not, even before the internet was invented, the dialogue of Sholay were part of the everyday lexicon. So, like the rest of the awe struck audience, I was mouthing them as they were being beamed on the screen.

And nothing can beat that experience. It's like falling in love with a stranger you know everything about. Doesn't make sense. But that’s Sholay for you. It’s an experience. It needs only to be felt. You don’t have to actually reason it out. I have seen it umpteenth times since and every time, the magic remains. It hasn't faded.

I was heartbroken when as a cub reporter, I found out that the main themes of Sholay were 'inspired' from the classic Western