September marks the 50th year that the Toronto International Film Festival has been championing artistic voices across the globe, and, to celebrate, the curators of the festival have added monumental films that share this special anniversary to the program. With the mainstream success of Telugu film RRR (2022) casting audiences’ eyes towards Indian cinema, how better to celebrate this year’s festival than to relive a genre-defining Bollywood feature? Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, making its long-awaited North American premiere at TIFF, gives an opportunity for Western audiences and filmmakers to learn from the Bollywood film scene because there is still a wealth of cinematic excellence to take from it.

Predominantly taking place in the village Ramgarh in the 1970s, Sholay follows retired police constable Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar), riddled with vengeance “fights fire with fire” by enlisting two goons, Veeru (Dharmendra Doel) and Jaidev (Amitabh Bachchan), to catch the notorious and nefarious thug Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Engulfed with action, romance, drama, comedy, and musical numbers, this film marked a turning point in Bollywood: The emergence of the all-encompassing “masala movies.” 

From cartoonish slapstick comedy seen when Veeru and Jaidev are in prison tricking Jailor Saab (Govardhan Asrani) to the extravagant action set pieces during the train sequence with Thakur, Sholay has it all. This degree of genre melding is one that the likes of Hollywood have only really seen to the same extent with the rise of superhero cinematic universes, which is far younger than Bollywood. 

Inspired by popular ‘60s Spaghetti Westerns such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Sippy leans into the idea that two rogue misfits feel a moral obligation towards a town on a tightly gripped leash by a gang. Alongside the romantic storylines involving Basanti (Hema Malini) and Radha (Jaya Bachchan), it is a feat of filmmaking from Sippy to present this amalgamation of traditional genres in a way that does not disservice any of them.

Malini’s depiction of the headstrong Basanti challenges the perception of the subservient woman so often seen in Indian cinema. She is uncompromising in both her kindness and her self-worth. Malini steals every scene with her vibrant and beaming performance, especially during her jaw-dropping dancing during “Haa Jab Tak Hai Jaan.” Although there are still problematic tendencies seen in her romance with Veeru, it is a step in the right direction for women in Bollywood.

Sippy’s meticulous direction only aids the balancing of each genre. Together with cinematographer Dwarka Divecha, there is an intense attention to detail when blocking scenes. Even in the most dynamic shots like the initial shoot-out in Ramgarh, the camera moves to the next stage of the action without skipping a beat. Paired with VFX supervisor Uday Wagh’s effects of shrapnel and debris flying towards the camera, every detail of the film is ahead of its time.

The most striking aspect whilst watching the film is the sense of camaraderie that Jaidev and Veeru share. It is one seldom seen in Hollywood, so unapologetically heartfelt and outwardly expressive for a portrayal of male friendship. Our introduction of the two in the song “Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin” is where we see them both profess “this friendship will not break,” “we will live and die together,” and “people see us as two but we are not two.” It breaks down the prevalent stereotype of men not harboring their positive emotions towards their male companions, which we are in dire need of in modern Western cinema. Bachchan and Doel’s effortless characterization of this platonic love makes it all the more believable and normalizes it to audiences.

Taking a step back, the messaging behind the feature is one with the utmost relevance 50 years on. There is a line spoken by a resident of the village that expresses the sentiment that an honorable death is better than living a life of oppression. In a world plagued with conflict at every glance, it offers its audience the opportunity to reflect on their place in society and whether they are fighting the causes they claim to care deeply about. Films today rarely dare to challenge those ideas.

I want Sholay’s impact to be placed in the same conversation as Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975), which also shares a 50th anniversary this year. The difference is that while we have globally embraced and revered the filmmaking lessons Jaws has to offer (with over 2.6 million logs on Letterboxd), we do not see the same for Sholay (with around 29 thousand logs on Letterboxd) and its unnoticed impact on Hollywood, as well as the themes yet to be welcomed by Western filmmakers. I welcome its North American premiere at TIFF as a chance for more people to revel in its mastery, giving it the roses it so rightfully deserves.

Retrospective Courtesy of Nandita Joshi

Feature Image Credit to Sippy Films via The Wire