Five decades after Sholay rewrote the grammar of Indian cinema, director-producer Ramesh Sippy has revealed a chilling behind-the-scenes moment that could have altered film history forever. In a recent interview, Sippy recalled how Amitabh Bachchan escaped death by just half a centimetre — with Dharmendra unknowingly pulling the trigger.“It happened while filming the climax,” Sippy told News18. Explaining the incident in detail, he said, “That was the one in which he picked up the bullets, stuffed them in… and in this shot, he was not supposed to fire… He was just expected to load the gun. But what he did was put the gun up and fired, Amitabh Bachchan was standing up there as it was his position–at the edge of the cliff and the bullet wizzed passed him.”
Action cameraman refuses to shoot, set comes to a halt
A fraction here or there, and Indian cinema might have lost one of its biggest icons. The near-miss left the crew shaken, but no one was angrier than the film’s action cinematographer, Jim Allen. The fallout was immediate and dramatic.“Jim Allen–the action cameraman said I will not shoot. He said if actors behave like this… it can’t happen on my set. I don’t want any accident to take place,” Sippy recalled.The situation escalated to the point where filming had to be called off. “That day, the shooting was cancelled and we obviously looked after him–cooled him off,” he added.Sippy also made it clear that while Dharmendra had slipped into character, safety could not be compromised. “We made Dharmendra also understand that its okay to get into the mood, but you cannot shoot when there’s possibility of accidents.”What followed was an apology that restored calm on set. “He understood. He apologised to Jim and Amit Ji. They worked it out. Obviously, it was not intentional, it just happened.”
When Amitabh and Dharmendra went missing in the jungle
As if the gunshot scare wasn’t enough, Sippy recalled another episode that left the Sholay unit deeply anxious — when both lead actors suddenly disappeared.“We got worried. We didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t understand if they were on a mischievous trip or if they were lost in the jungle,” he said.With no information about their whereabouts, panic began to set in. “We didn’t know if we should start looking for them. We set out to try and look for them,” Sippy added.After a couple of tense hours, the mystery was solved. “Finally, a couple of hours later they turned up. I think they had a good time with a couple of drinks. But they were back and intact and everything was fine.” Apparently, their car had broken down and the stars had taken a rickshaw back to the hotel.
Sholay – The Final Cut returns to theatres
For the uninitiated, Sholay has returned to theatres as Sholay – The Final Cut, featuring the original climax and two previously deleted scenes. The special re-release marks the 50th anniversary of Ramesh Sippy’s iconic film and is being screened across 1,500 screens in India, released by Sippy Films on December 12.The restoration is historically significant, as the original climax — shot by Sippy but removed during the Emergency — was banned by the Central Board of Film Certification for its violent content. The never-before-seen sequence shows Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar) killing Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) with spiked shoes. Earlier this year, Sholay was also showcased at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The premiere of the restored 4K version was attended by Ramesh Sippy and actor Bobby Deol, among others.
