Ramesh Sippy's 1975 film, Sholay, one of the cult classics of all time, is all set to have its world premiere in Italy, on Friday, in the restored, uncut version at the prestigious Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna.
The screening, which will celebrate the film's 50th anniversary, is scheduled to take place on June 27, 2025 at the open-air Piazza Maggiore, said a press release, as per a report in PTI.
Shehzad Sippy, the nephew of Ramesh Sippy revealed an interesting detail about the restored version. He said that six more minutes is added to the restored version of Sholay, and the original ending where Gabbar (Amjad Khan) is killed will also be included.
In the original version of the film, Gabbar is killed by Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar), but the Censor Board didn't allow that, citing it's "too violent" as it hit the theatres during the Emergency.
Shehzad told PTI, "In 1975, there was Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, there were some three to four scenes that were not passed by the censor board at that time, including the ending, where Gabbar Singh is killed."
He added, "As in the movie, Thakur is a citizen then and no longer a police officer, they did not want a private citizen to take the law into their own hands during that climate of the country."
Apart from the original ending, other unseen moments from the movie will also be screened in the restored and uncut version.
"There will be a few additional scenes which we will have this time. We want to keep it under wraps... We’ve tried to do the best job possible with the original elements, and not cut anything," said Shehzad.
Written by Salim-Javed, Sholay was released in theatres on August 15, 1975. The iconic film also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan.
Sholay's restoration process, which took three years, was spearheaded by Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) and Sippy Films Pvt Ltd.
Shehzad was all praise for FHF and the British Film Institute for the restoration.
"It’s restored in its original form and recreates the experience of what it's like to watch the film the way it was intended to be seen.
"It’s a beautiful restoration that’s being done in Bologna, Italy, at the lab over there; they are the best in the world at restoring classic cinema. I’m hoping people will like it," he said.
