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Hema Malini’s role as Basanti in Sholay is one of the iconic roles in the Indian film industry, which is still remembered after 5 decades. The legendary actress recently shared that she was not excited when the role was offered to him by Ramesh Sippy. She felt that the role was too short for her, but Sippy convinced her, saying that she would regret it if she said no to the opportunity. However, Hema Malini said yes to the director and her role became evergreen.

As today marks the 50th release anniversary of Sholay, Hema Malini revealed a few unknown things about her role. Malini told Hindustan Times, “When the film was first offered to me, I wasn’t very excited about it. I even asked him ‘Are you sure? You are offering me ek tange walli ka role, itna chota role?’ See, I had worked with him earlier in Andaz and Seeta Aur Geeta, where I had a double role.”

She added, “So when he said, ‘There are so many artists in the film, and you’re also playing one character,’ I felt it was a small role. I told him, ‘This doesn’t inspire me.’ But he looked at me and said, ‘Just say yes. Otherwise, you will repent.’ That’s exactly what I did, and I’m thankful I listened.”

Playing Basanti wasn’t an easy task for Hema Malini as she said, “I was a bit confused about how to deliver the dialogues. Then Javed (Akhtar) sat with me, narrated the scene, and enacted it himself. I just picked up the way he said it and added my own flair. That’s how it became what it is today. Even now, people come up to me and quote Basanti’s dialogues. It makes them so happy—and that makes me happy too.”

Also read: Not Amitabh Bachchan But Dharmendra Was Highest Paid Actor In Sholay; Can You Guess Who Was The First Choice To Play Jai?

“Who knew that Basanti would become so iconic today? When I go in gathering, I can’t get off the stage till the time I don’t recite one of Basanti’s dialogues. That’s her craze in today’s time. Basanti was ahead of her time even 50 years ago. Ek ladki jo tanga chalati hai, she was a self-made woman. She lived life on her own terms. She was all alone and still looked after herself. That is what made the character special. Even now, when I think of her, I feel she truly represents what we today call ‘aatma nirbhar.’ So in a way, she was ahead of her time. And imagine, back then, I didn’t even know how important that would become one day.”

“I’ve seen a few shows where they talk about Basanti or use it as a reference, but I’m not very active on social media. I’ve heard that there are many memes and that people love quoting her dialogues,” the actress added.

Also read: Sholay Turns 50: When Dharmendra BRIBED Spot Boys Rs 20 For Extra Hugs With Hema Malini

Sholay was released in theatres on August 15, 1975. The film also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, Mac Mohan and Sachin Pilgaonkar in significant roles. It was directed by Ramesh Sippy and produced by G. P. Sippy, Shaan Uttamsingh, Sascha Sippy. At the time of release, Sholay had a box office collection of Rs 35 crore in India and Rs 50 crore worldwide.

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