By ANUPAMA CHOPRA (Penguin Books; 2000)
In the rarefied world of Bollywood SHOLAY is possibly the most iconic and influential film in existence. Unveiled in 1975, it was a Hollywood-influenced “curry western” that changed the course of Indian cinema forever; indeed, it’s been said that Indian film history can be divided into SHOLAY BC and SHOLAY AD. Here in the west, of course, SHOLAY has a much different resonance than it does in its native land, seeming strange, campy and even somewhat demented (in scenes like those in which the film’s hero has both arms amputated and its heroine is forced to dance barefoot on broken glass). That renders this book, SHOLAY: MAKING OF A CLASSIC, which chronicles the making of SHOLAY, something of an exotic curiosity to non-Indian readers.
…chronicles the making of SHOLAY, something of an exotic curiosity to non-Indian readers.
If SHOLAY: MAKING OF A CLASSIC has an overriding flaw, it’s that a more-than-passing familiarity with Bollywood culture is required on the part of the reader. This is evident in the chapter headings, which consist of quotes from SHOLAY presented in untranslated Hindi, and its lack of explanation about Bollywood conventions (such as the elaborate song and dance numbers that pepper these films, and tend to seem mighty odd to American viewers), with which author Anupama Chopra evidently assumes we’re already familiar.
…the film was such a must-see event during its initial half-a-decade long run that bus routes were named after it and the total number of people who’ve seen SHOLAY is equal to the population of India.
SHOLAY Film Trailer
Yet concerning the subject at hand Chopra more than does her job. She adroitly guides us through SHOLAY’S inception by the screenwriting team of Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, a.k.a. Salim-Javed, who’d go on to become quite a force in Bollywood, and its production, a massive affair that was lensed in 70mm (an unheard-of practice in Indian cinema) and went considerably over budget. Yet producer G.P. Sippy forged ahead, as did his director son Ramesh and the cast, which included Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan (who didn’t have much name value at the time but went on to become massive stars).
In the rarefied world of Bollywood, SHOLAY is possibly the most iconic and influential film in existence.
Interestingly, it seems SHOLAY wasn’t an immediate hit. It apparently took a few weeks for the word of mouth to fully kick in, and even then the soundtrack album (a quintessential component of success in Bollywood) was a slow seller. This problem was dealt with by the release of albums comprised of dialogue recordings from the film, which were huge sellers in the pre-DVD era.
Other tidbits we learn in these pages include the revelation that alcoholism was rampant during the film’s shoot (gasp!); that British stunt coordinators were called in to handle the elaborate stunt work (which marked yet another first for a Bollywood movie); that the original ending was far more contemplative and subdued than the reshot coda with which the film ended up; that the film was such a must-see event during its initial half-a-decade long run that bus routes were named after it; and that the total number of people who’ve seen SHOLAY is equal to the population of India.
…alcoholism was rampant during the film’s shoot (gasp!)…
Quite an interesting saga, and one that author Anupama Chopra manages to bring in via an easy-to-read, heavily illustrated 200 pages. For Bollywood aficionados it will doubtless make for a compulsive read, although for everyone else perhaps not so much.