50 Years Of Sholay: Farhan Akhtar Reveals Salim-Javed Had Another Ending In Mind
Updated on: 06 August, 2025 05:47 PM IST |Shweta Shah
Farhan Akhtar reveals Gabbar dies in Sholay`s original climax
Farhan Akhtar is currently the talk of the town after his film, 120 Bahadur`s teaser, took the internet by storm. Coming from an iconic film family, the actor is the son of legendary screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who wrote Sholay.
The Ramesh Sippy directorial redefined Bollywood and made it cinematically larger than life with Sholay. Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kapoor, and Dharmendra starrer clocks 50 years of its release. The movie introduced us to an iconic villain, Gabbar Singh, played by Amjad Khan.
But did you know writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar had a different and more dramatic climax in mind? However, they had to change it, and there`s an interesting anecdote behind it.
Farhan Akhtar shares Sholay`s unknown incident
The actor who came on Prakhar Gupta`s podcast to promote his upcoming biopic, 120 Bahadur, shared an unknown anecdote about the iconic Bollywood film.
Also Read: Amitabh Bachchan Shares Treasured Sholay Movie Ticket From 1975
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He said, “The emotional core of the film was very strong, the entire narrative of Thakur plotting his revenge after his hands were cut. We get lost in the Jai Veeru conversation, but the spine of the film was the honest police officer who goes after a dacoit after he kills his family. He hires these two good-for-nothing people, and in the original ending he actually kills Gabbar. They had to change it due to the emergency, and the original ending is now available. That is actually when he cries, after crushing Gabbar with his own feet."
The film was written by Salim-Javed, who were rather unhappy with the revised climax.
Also Read: Sholay`s Original Cut and Unseen Scenes to Premiere in Italy After 50 Years!
The Rock On actor added, “When Dad and Salim Sahab had to change the ending, they were wondering about everyone showing up, including the villagers, the police, and the protagonists. They joked that the only person missing now is a postman. The ending and the police showing up didn’t make sense to them, but they had to change it; they had no choice."
Even the supporting characters left a magnetic mark, he said, explaining, “The film just leaves a huge impact on you. The way it was mounted and all the characters were fun. It wasn’t as if it was just Jai and Veeru who were exciting. The jailer, Surma Bhopali, Gabbar, and Basanti were all great characters. It was a massive hit."
Sholay will complete five decades of its release on August 15, 2025.
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