DYK Dharmendra Was Offered To Play Gabbar Singh In Sholay? When Director Ramesh Sippy Spilled Beans About Veteran Actor’s Interest

Dharmendra, the name itself carries a weight of legacy in the Hindi film industry, is currently admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. As confirmed by his daughter Esha Deol, the actor is stable and recovering. He was admitted to the hospital due to respiratory issues. Amid a critical situation in his life, there is an interesting interview of Sholay director Ramesh Sippy that has been going viral, in which he has shared that the veteran actor was offered two roles in the movie and not the iconic character, Veeru. Dharmendra, who immortalised Veeru, was offered the roles of Gabbar Singh and Thakur Baldev Singh. Initially, the actor was interested but later refused, which led him to play Veeru, the character who scripted history.

In an earlier conversation with The Screen, Sholay Director Ramesh Sippy said, “There’s no question that when a fine actor takes over any role, he’d have done it wonderfully. It can’t be denied. But if you look back at it now, can you see anyone else as Gabbar? Amjad Khan fitted in such a way that he’s so good! Amitabh was so good as Jai! Even Sanjeev Kumar felt he should play Gabbar. Dharam ji felt the entire story is Thakur’s, and the arch villain of Gabbar is very colourful, so should he play either? In the end, I said, ‘Dharam ji, you can play any role, but phir Hema Malini nahi milegi (laughs).’ But I can’t see anyone else in that water tank scene. Finally, each actor accepted their role and did it with full conviction. And the result is for everyone to see.”

Also read: Jai And Veeru- The OG Ride-Or-Die | How Sholay Duo Set 'Bromance' Gold Standard For Gen Z

The movie was then set to be a blockbuster and turned into a classic, which is still remembered over the years. But the shoot was quite dramatic as Amitabh Bachchan was nearly shot during the filming. In an episode of Kaun Banega Corerpati in 2020, Bachchan revealed that Dharmendra had accidentally fired a live round during shooting, which narrowly missed him. At that time, the moment shocked the crew, but it turned out to be one of the many talked-about behind-the-scenes stories of film.

Also read: Sholay At 50: Movie That Sealed Salim–Javed’s Legacy As India’s Most Iconic Screenwriting Duo

Sholay featured Dharmendra as Veeru, Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur Baldev Singh, Hema Malini as Basanti, Amitabh Bachchan as Jaidev/Jai, Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh, among others. It was released in theatres on August 15, 1975.