Nearly five decades after its release, audiences will finally witness the original ending of Sholay (1975), one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated films. The Indian Film Festival of Sydney (IFFS) announced that it will screen a restored version of the classic this October, featuring the climactic sequence as director Ramesh Sippy had first envisioned.
The highlight of this version is the final showdown between Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) and dacoit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Unlike the widely known climax where Gabbar is arrested, the original ending shows Thakur killing the villain in a moment of retribution. This version was shot but never released to the public.
Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange called the screening a historic moment. “This isn’t just the revival of a classic, it’s the revival of a piece of our collective cultural history,” she said, noting that showcasing Sippy’s intended ending restores the director’s vision in full. The restored Sholay will serve as the centerpiece of IFFS, scheduled from October 9 to 11.
The film’s ending was altered in 1975 following intervention by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). At the time, censors objected to a former police officer taking the law into his own hands, deeming it inappropriate in the context of the Emergency period. The CBFC insisted on a new climax, along with cuts to several violent scenes. Despite producer G.P. Sippy’s objections, the filmmakers were forced to reshoot the sequence.
According to accounts, Sippy was deeply frustrated and even contemplated removing his name from the credits. However, with deadlines looming, the cast quickly regrouped, and over the course of two days the revised ending was filmed. Sanjeev Kumar, who was abroad for a film festival, returned to India to complete his scenes. The final version, in which Gabbar is captured alive, went on to become iconic.
The Film Heritage Foundation has since restored both the original and theatrical endings, ensuring that this piece of cinematic history is preserved.
Directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay featured an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, and Amjad Khan. The film became a landmark in Indian cinema, holding the record as the country’s highest-grossing film for over a decade.
With its upcoming Sydney screening, audiences will experience Sholay as it was first conceived, closing a nearly 50-year chapter in the film’s history.
