Sholay: Amitabh Bachchan once revealed one scene took 3 years to shoot and we guarantee you cannot guess which one

Sholay is a timeless cultural ambassador of Indian cinema. The movie has remained relevant in the minds and hearts of film enthusiasts who have kept its legacy alive for decades. The Amitabh Bachchan-Dharmendra starrer is a unique film that, despite its initial box-office failure, found its audience over the years. As time passed, the world recognized the masterclass in filmmaking that Sholay represents, leading to its eventual embrace by audiences. As we continue to obsess over this cult classic, we are now in the 49th year of its release, just a year away from its 50th anniversary. The factors that have kept it alive and thriving for nearly five decades are worth exploring, but one undeniable aspect is its attention to detail. 

The Sholay Scene That Took 3 Years to Shoot

It's not uncommon for directors to invest themselves so deeply in a script that they disregard time and deadlines, often taking years, if not decades, to complete a film. Sholay is one such movie that was shot over an extended period. What’s even more fascinating is the meticulous attention to detail that filmmaker Ramesh Sippy exhibited. He spent three years capturing one of the film’s seemingly simple shots, and most of us wouldn’t even realize it. Read on to learn more.

There’s a beautiful scene in Sholay that deepens the relationship between the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. In this scene, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) is quietly playing his mouth organ in the village as Radha (Jaya Bachchan) steps out onto a balcony to light a lamp. This scene is a nuanced look at their dynamic and has a high recall value. However, Amitabh Bachchan once revealed that it took them three years to shoot this one scene.

Also Read: Kamal Haasan to Amitabh Bachchan: 'I hated Sholay so much'

According to iDiva, Amitabh Bachchan spoke about this scene at an event around 2017 while praising filmmaker Ramesh Sippy. He said, “I wonder if you remember a scene in Sholay where Jaya (Bachchan) had to light a lamp in the corridor, and I am sitting in the outhouse playing the mouth organ. There was a particular kind of lighting that was required for the shot. Our DOP, Mr. Divecha, was keen to take the shot at the time of sunset. You would not believe that Ramesh ji spent almost three years before we finally got that shot.”

He further added, “Every time we would go to enact that sequence, something would not be right with the lighting. And Ramesh ji said, ‘until we get the correct light, we are not going to shoot this.’ We waited for three years for one flash of a shot for the film.”

Sholay on OTT

Sholay, with a runtime of 3 hours and 24 minutes, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video with your subscription. You can also watch it with your Tuni subscription on Tubi. For Apple TV users, you can rent the film on the app for ₹120. Apple TV+ subscribers can watch the film for free for a week, with a subsequent subscription of ₹99 per month.

Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

Also Read: Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra's Sholay would have been panned if there were online reviews back then: Mukesh