Hindi, directed by Ramesh Sippy

There is a reticence to accept something that is extraordinarily popular. When I saw Sholay, I thought oh I could have made it if I had the money. But when we had the money, we discovered how tough it was. Ramesh Sippy pulled the film off at the peak of the star system rearing its ugly head. Also, it’s easy to say that Sholay was based on Sergio Leone’s films. But how do you translate Sergio Leone on screen in India? We understood the value of Sholay when Satyajit Ray spoke about it. I re-viewed the film and lost my hubris. It was the execution that was flawless. Cinema is like politics – sometimes you come to a film with the best of intentions but it ends badly. Javed saab’s Gabbar Singh was a very important character (though at that time Amitji and Dharamji were my favourites).