jawedjhms
This blockbuster movie Released in Hyderabad on 03-10-1975 in these Theaters (Ramakrishna 70mm print - Skyline - Alka -Shanti- Natraj 70mm - Shobhna - Kamal) first i saw this movie when i was 9 years old in Manohar theater Secunderabad
Store Kahan Ahooouja
How do you properly describe a film which feels like family? We know all the dialogues, our kids love doing Gabbar Singh imitations, and watching the film even for the first time gives us a feeling of deja- vu. Sholay is a part of every Indian, four decades after its release, and it will remain so for many decades more.How is the casting so perfect? How did Amjad Khan, a complete newbie to films, deliver such an iconic performance as Gabbar Singh? Did the legendary writer duo Salim-Javed have any idea that their dialogues would be recited decades later by my five-year old cousin? And how is it that Sholay has become nothing short of immortal?10/10
Charles Herold (cherold)
In spite of initial negative reviews, Sholay became, thanks to word of mouth, a huge hit and an acknowledged classic. It is also, by Western standards, a bit of a mess, and something that would be a better movie with an hour chopped out.The movie is shot like a western (although in spite of initial impressions it's not a period piece) and is gorgeously scenic. The opening train action sequence is good, though not great, and it illustrates an issue seen throughout the movie: it's clear no fist ever comes close to a face and the fighting has an over-choreographed look that makes it unconvincing.This is followed by the film's nadir, a painfully unfunny "comic" sequence about a prison martinet with a Hitler mustache. Not only is it the worst part of the movie, but it's also completely unnecessary; it adds nothing to the movie. Then there's a musical number. This seems odd, but it turns out Sholay is a western-musical-action picture. Go figure.If you can make it that far (about 45 minutes in) then things pick up with a talkative horse-cart driver whose amusing, narcissistic chattering proves that the movie can be funny if it tries. Sholay has the look of a 50s-era western, but it also has the darkness that moved into cinema in the 60s and 70s. The most effective movies are its darkest, and once the film shows that side (towards the middle), the action, broad comedy, suspense, romance, drama, and even dancing, work pretty well. Like the Seven Samurai, Sholay is about heroes protecting a village from bandits, but unlike the Kurosawa film, these heroes have no sense of strategy. It is amazing how it never occurs to anyone in the film to take any precautions or even consider for a moment that being surrounded by bandits probably makes a lot of things dangerous. In spite of a few grim moments, overall Sholay is your basic popcorn flick, and something I probably would have enjoyed more when I was 14 watching a Saturday afternoon movie marathon. 3 1/2 hours long and crossing genres willy-nilly, Sholay really *is* a movie marathon. Cut a few scenes out and trim pretty much everything that's left and Sholay would be a much better movie. As it is, it's a bit of a curio that I can't quite recommend.
sesht
Some of the most pathetic conversion from 2D-3D available on screen, that puts the shoddy 'Clash of the Titans' on a pedestal for how to do things. The wonderful original background score has also been screwed-with (thankfully, not to a great extent) by someone called Raju Singh. Atmos sound works most of the time. Better viewed in 2D, and I shall remedy the mistake when/if I get the chance, though I'd have to live with the screwed-over score in any case (I think).Having said that, the audience members who watched this one when I did, had the following attributes: 1. Intent in capturing selfies during the movie's running time. Cams pointed right at the audience as well, flashes going off to the tune of 5-10 occasions every half hour. 2. Babies, who (obviously) brought the house down with the (oh so pleasant) screaming when Atmos accentuated every gunshot, every death-scream, and every swear word. 3. Cam phones once again, being used by geniuses to take snaps of the (3D) images on screen. Wait, there's more... 4. Cacophonous laughs and jeers at every quite moment, some of which were romantic, most of which were tragic/poignant. Same batch of geniuses (see above) joining in, with quite a few followers to boot......Now, in spite of not blowing a blood vessel at all that (quite used to putting up with, nee living with, said geniuses that populate most cinemas, including multiplexes), I confess to having not felt bored even during (what I consider the weakest element of this masterpiece) those interminable flashbacks, and dated-looking/sounding/seeming scenarios on display. The performances are still top-notch, the music plays a huge role (the not-too-destroyed RDB-original score during the train sequence being a case-in-point - the rest having been butchered by Raju Singh). All-in-all, I do hope someone coverts this for IMAX (hopefully, without the 3D), or someone updates the 3D sometime, even with crowd-funding, if that's an option. Still, this compares well against most of the other trash playing, and being appreciated, out there.