Sholay@50: A shared memory that lives on

When dialogues, characters and scenes become part of popular folklore, woven into the tapestry of national memory that rolls on generation after generation, is when celluloid magic happens. Sholay is that film - and it doesn’t matter whether you have seen the film or not.

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It has been 50 years since the film released, a cult classic so impactful it continues to thrive, almost a living, breathing entity evolving through time and referenced on just about any occasion. And so, a late entrant who walks into a silent conference room says “Itna sannata kyon hai bhai” and everyone breaks into smiles. The connect is instant. The film is familiar to all.

The Ramesh Sippy masterpiece that melded comedy and romance, terror and tragedy was released August 15, 1975, with a runtime of more than three hours. The response was tepid to begin with but picked up over the weeks that followed. Cinema history was being made in 70 mm.