Thursday 15 August 2013

Celebrating 38 Years Of Sholay Magic........!! Congratulations Prabhu.

Sholay relased on 15 August 1975......

Celebrating 38 Years of Super Duper Success. 

 Special Poster of Sholay with Shri Amitabh Bachchan




Hema Malini and Dharmendra ....Behind the Scene


Sholay Special Poster of Shri Jaya Bachchan



                  Shri Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy and Dharmendra during Sholay Shooting.

SHOLAY PREMIERE....The Bachchans






While Shooting the Song....


Sholay Party Time....StarCast



Shooting ....Ramesh Sippy and Sholay Cast....Behind The Scene


Gems of Sholay.....Picture all together.



Behind the Scene.....Amit Ji and Dharam Paa Ji....Fun Time :)


Shri Amitabh Bachchan , Special Photo from Sholay....!!














 
 Sholay  Ramanagara Gaon Now....!! They have made Hotel there with Sholay Theme

 Sholay and Facts :---

Sholay was released on 15 August 1975 in the Bombay region. It was first 70 mm movie with stereophonic sound...! Sharing some of facts compiled by dear friend Bobby.
Within few days of its release the expensive film was called a flop. Almost every critic and trade magazine said “Sholay” was a great and costly mistake made. India Today, Filmfare, Film Trade Magazine and many more had the same opinion about the movie.
“Sholay” was just about to be removed from cinemas because of low attendance figures, but suddenly after a few days attendance started rising with word-of-mouth and there were long queues seen at the advance booking windows.
Actually it can be said that the film in 70 mm was so Grand in its look & style that it took time for the viewers to grasp it. And then “Sholay” went on to make history forever.
This was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver-jubilee (25-week) in its initial release at over 100 cinemas across India.
There was a rumor that many Black Marketers bought new Flats and Taxis from their earnings due to the grand success of the movie.
Innovative Act By The Music Company
Even when the film was being called a huge success, somehow the music was not selling.
Polydor worked on the reason for this and found that the dialogues of the movie had such a strong impact on the viewer that they were hardly remembering the songs. People could be seen repeating the dialogues of the movie in as well as out of the theaters.
Keeping that in mind, for the first time ever Polydor released different dialogues EPs with different titles. Mainly “Veeru Ki Sagai”, “Soorma Bhopali”, “Hamein Jail Jaana Hai”, “Gabbar Singh” and more which were an instant success. Till date the dialogues of the movie are in regular circulation in the market.
The Deleted Scenes & Songs
Initially a song called “Chand Sa Koi Chehra” was recorded which is a qawwali, but the song was dropped from the movie owing to the length of the movie. One of the singers of the song was the lyricist Anand Bakshi while the others were Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar and Bhupendra.
A Dhaba Sequence was there featuring Veeru & Jai eating at the Dhaba owned by Maruti (a well known comedian of those years). The scene included Veeru & Jai eating, doing gargles and then spitting over.
Another scene included Jai & Veeru stealing motorcycle from a Parsi Gentlemen. Probably it was to be added before the song “Yeh Dosti”.
Sachin’s death scene also couldn’t make to the final version.
The Two Endings (Climax Versions)
In the original ending, Thakur killed Gabbar. The Indian Censor Board did not agree with the ending, saying that its like ignoring the law and this could adversely influence the young minds. So, a new ending was created that showed the police running in at the last moment, arresting Gabbar, and specifically telling the Thakur that only the law has the right to punish criminals. The original ending was restored in the 204-minute director’s cut. (which can be seen in some versions of DVDs available in the market).
Awards Won
When it was first released, Sholay won only one Filmfare award: Film editor M. S. Shinde won for Best editing. After the censor’s instructed cuts, the film was 18,000 feet and ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes. 
Nevertheless, at the 50th Filmfare Awards, it received the prestigious award as the Best Film of 50 Years. Ramesh Sippy was there to receive the trophy. 
It was declared “Film of the Millennium” by BBC India and internet polls in 1999.
More Amusing Facts
“Gabbar Singh” character was so famous that Britannia Biscuits made a commercial with Amjad Khan eating Biscuits. This was the first time that a villain character was used by a company to publicise its products. The advertisement was an instant hit in children and the sales doubled.
Hooked up by his character of “Soorma Bhopali”, years later Jagdeep himself made a film with the title “Soorma Bhopali” in 1988.
Viju Khote was renamed “Kaalia” forever after this movie.
Till date Asrani has to speak, “Hum Angrezon Ke Zamaane Ke Jailor” in his every TV and Stage Appearance.
Macmohan was so disturbed that his all scenes were deleted from the movie. But he may still wonder how only one scene and few words can be popular all over the world even after so many years. For a long time filmmakers kept using the name “Samba” in their films to gain popularity.
If you love this CLASSIC and still wish it to see it again after so many years then you must read a highly entertaining book by Anupama Chopra, “Sholay and its making” released by Penguin Books.
Music by the Maestro RDB
“Koi Haseena Jab Rooth Jaati Hai” was the first song to be composed.
 Music of the film was sold at a very high price (according to that time) to Polydor. The deal was
 on an Advance Royalty contract for the first time ever.
The song “Mehbooba Mehbooba” was to be recorded in the voice of Asha Bhosle, but then R. D. Burman himself did the vocals.  
Shooting The Classic
The first scene to be shot was the one in which “Amitabh returns the safe keys to Jaya”.
Amitabh Bachchan was almost killed at the end of the movie when a stray bullet from 'Dharmendra' missed him by inches.
It was during the making of Sholay that Amitabh discovered he was going to be a father of his first born, Shweta.
The train robbery sequence took about 20 days to film on the Mumbai-Pune line, near Panvel.
The major outdoor scenes were shot at Ramnagaram near Bangalore, India. There are huge rocks of granite in the town which became the backdrop of Gabbar Singh's den. As a memento to remember, the people of Ramnagaram renamed a part of the town as Sippynagar after the name of the director, Ramesh Sippy.
The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagaram for an easy access to the sets. Even to this day, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where the movie was shot) is a key feature for tourists travelling through Ramanagaram (on the road between Bangalore and Mysore).
Mac Mohan who played “Samba” had to come many times from Bombay again and again to shoot for his part. Sadly only one scene of his was there in the movie, but he was destined to be famous with that scene only.
The film showcased two real life romances. Amitabh married Jaya Bhaduri, who played the widowed daughter-in-law, in 1973, during the filming. And Dharmendra married Hema Malini in 1980, five years after the release of the film.

TRIVIA ----- 

India's first 70 mm, stereophonic sound film. It premiered at Bombay's Minerva theatre on 15th Aug 1975, but the premier was done with 30 mm print because 70 mm prints were held up in custom deptt. · 40 Prints were released in Bombay territory · Total running time of the movie is 3 hours 20 minutes & length is 20,000 feet. Director exposed 3,00000 feet of raw stock for the movie.
·Polydar Music co. released 30,000 records of Sholay’s music in the market before the 2 months of releasing of the movie. & The initial response was very poor. 
· Sholay was the first movie of which dialogue sound tracks were released in the market & it sold like hot cake in the market & got more popularity than the music of the movie.
· Film’s 70 mm prints were prepared in London (UK)
· It was about to be removed from cinemas due to low attendance figures but attendance started rising and word of mouth made it the biggest hit of Indian cinema so far with some screens playing the film for several years.
· The movie was released in other parts of the country on 11th Oct 1975 when it became successful in Bombay territory.
· Danny Donezgappa who was initially offered the role of Gabbar Singh was busy shooting in Afghanistan for Dharmatma (1975) He could not accept the role and the reluctant second choice was Amjad Khan got it.
· Initially, 'Dharmendra' was keen to play the role of Thakur Baldev Singh. He eventually relented when the director informed him that Sanjeev Kumar would play Veeru if that happened, and would get the heroine. Sanjeev Kumar had just then proposed marriage to Hema Malini Dharmendra was in love with her and quickly went back to the role of Veeru. · The famous overhead tank scene where Veeru threatens Mausi with suicide and Jai attempts at making a proposal of marriage was drawn from a real life incident.
· Director Man Mohan Desai was first approached by the writing duo of 'Salim Javed with the story for this movie. He was busy with Chacha Bhatija (1977) and could not accept the project.
· Actor Amjad Khan was almost dropped from the project because scriptwriter 'Javed Akhtar' found his voice too weak for Gabbar Singh's role.
· After this incident Salim Javed never worked with Amjad Khan in their career.
· Amitabh Bachan was almost killed at the end of the movie when a stray bullet from 'Dharmendra' missed him by inches.
· The train robbery sequence was shot on the Mumbai-Pune line, near Panvel.
· Amjad Khan's calling one of his associates Sambha ("A rre o Sambha', tera kya hoga?") caught the fancy of not just moviegoers, but also producers. So much so that a producer promptly announced a movie titled Sambha.
· This was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate silver jubilee (25 weeks) at over 100 theatres across India.
· The film was shot extensively in Ramnagaram near Bangalore, There are huge rocks of granite in this town, which formed the backdrop of Gabbar Singh's hideout. As a mark of respect, the people of Ramnagaram renamed a hamlet in the town as Sippynagar after the director of the movie, Ramesh Sippy.
· In the original ending, the Thakur killed Gabbar. The Indian Censor Board did not agree with this ending, saying that its vigilante aspect undermined the rule of law and could adversely influence naive young minds. So, a new ending was created that showed the police running in at the last moment, arresting Gabbar, and specifically telling the Thakur that only the law has the right to punish criminals.   · The original ending was restored in the 204-minute director's cut, & some prints with original ending are available in the market. · Sholay was refused Censor certificate on 20th July 1975 & film was scheduled to release on 15th Aug 1975, so the director re- shot the climax of the movie & released it within a span of 26 days. · Real Bullets were used for the close up action scenes.   · First scene shot for the movie was Amitabh returning the keys to the safe to Jaya.   · There are two sets of negatives, one in 70mm and one in 35mm as every shot/scene was done twice.   · Basanti's chase sequence was shot over 12 days · Jim Allen, Gerry Cramton, Romo Comoro, John Gant...some of the foreign technicians who worked on the action sequences.   · The opening train sequence took 7 weeks to shoot. · The last scene shot for Sholay was the Thakur meets Veeru and Jai outside the jail and offers them the job.   · Sholay took nearly Two and half years to complete (450 shifts)   · Amjad's voice was nearly dubbed, as there were whispers it not being strong enough for a villain.  · The background music took a whole month to complete.  · Sholay's Budget was close to 3 crores.  · Jaya was pregnant during the shooting of the film with Shweta Bachchan. · Jaya was glowing again during the premiere of Sholay...this time with Abhishek Bachchan.   · Saachin was a veteran film actor with 60 films behind him from 1962.... but A.K Hangal was a newcomer to films.   · Amjad's first scene shot was his introduction scene.....his first lines "Kitne Aadmi The"? *& He gave 40 retakes to complete the final cut.   · Sholay had a Qawalli title 'Chaar Bhaand' Qawalli. (8 mins) which was chopped at editing table. · Playbacksingers of Qawalli were Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Bhupinder and Anand Bakshi, with chorus. Chaand sa koi chehra na pehloo main ho To chandni ka mazaa nahin aata Jaam peekar shraabi na gir jaahe to Maikashi ka mazaa nahin aata (There is no joy in moonlight Without the moon-faced one by my side. There is no joy in wine If having drunk I do not stumble and fall)   · Mac Mohan traveled 27 times from Bombay to Bangalore for the shooting of small role of Sambha. · Sholay ran 5 year consecutively in Minerva theatre of Bombay.   · Long opening train sequence was lifted from a Hollywood movie named “stage Coach”.   · Initially veteran singer Mana Dey was suppose to sing famous Mahbooba Mahbooba song but when it was recorded in the voice of Pancham Da the result were so good Mana Dey requested it to keep in the voice of Pancham Da.   · Sholay was inspired from two movies ‘Seven Samurai’ & ‘The Magnificent seven.’   · Thakur Baldev Singh’s (Sanjeev Kr) family massacre scene was lifted from an English movie “ Once upon a time in West”. & It took 23 days to complete the shooting of this scene.   · You will be surprised to know that Sholay so huge hit movie got only one Filmfare award (Best Editing – MS Shinde).   · Amjad Khan (Gabbar Singh) bought his army khaki fatigue from the Chor Bazar of Bombay. · Amitabh Bachan recommended the name of Amjad Khan for the role of Gabbar Singh as he had earlier worked with him in Saat Hindustani.   · The particular lighting of lamp scene of Radha (Jaya Bachan) during sun set was completed in 20 days & it is surprising this scene hardly come for 2 minutes when watch the movie on screen.   · Ye Dosti Hum Nahi Todege.. Song was completed in 20 days shooting. · Amjad Khan death sequence was completed in 17 days.  · Sachin’s (Ahmad) death sequence was shot in 17 days & it was so violent that censor refused to pass it was edited and shown as Amjad Khan crushing an ant (Chinti) as a symbol.  · 6 counterfeit coins with Head both side were always ready at the location for Jai coin throwing sequence in the movie.  · There are only 9 scenes of Gabbar Singh in the movie.   · Sholay’s producer GP Sippy gifted an AC to actor Sachin at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the movie.   · All other leading stars of the movie were gifted Gold Bracelets at the Diamond Jubilee of the movie & the cameraman of the movie Dwarka Divecha was gifted Fiet car by the producer.  Many Thanks to JIJIBISHA and Bobby.....!! Sholay Rocks.

 Love,

Pawan Pipalwa...!! 

Thursday 1 August 2013

My Dear Mr.Bachchan, Happy 2nd Birthday ..........!!

My Dear Prabhu,


 Happy Second Birthday To You......! Wish you all the Success and Healthiest Life always...! Thank You so much for being with us....! Thanks a lot tot he God for giving  you the strength to recover from most painful incident of my God's life...!  My Prabhu, Love You So Much....! We and Our Prayers, Wishes and Love always with you....!! Keep Rocking.


Here, Sharing some Magazine Scans and Pictures from Coolie Accident Days and Recovery and Resuming Coolie Shooting...!






1 ) The Shot that conquered Indian Film Industry and Billions of Fans Word Wide.


2) India Today made a Special Report on Mr.Bachchan's health.....! During those days   
   Mr.Bachchan banned the Media but First Stardust came forward and wrote about him...!






The Hindu Newspaper News on AmitJi's coolie accident.





 3) Medical Report and details got printed in many countries....! Here is one from Pakistani Magazine.


5) Mr.Bachchan coming out from the hospital on September 24, 1982. Taking Blessings from Dr. 
    Harivansh Rai Bachchan Ji....


Lt. Indira Gandhi ji with Lt Teji Bachchan Ji at Breach Candy hospital

Rajiv Gandhi outside Breach Candy hospital to enquire about the health of Amitabh Ji.





Mr.Bachchan coming out from the Hospital.



Mr.Bachchan with Manmohan Desai Ji


Mr.Bachchan with Abhishek Bachchan

Mr.Bachchan leaving in car, Fans and Well wishers...

6) During the recovery time with Family and friends.....! Live Tonight Amitabh Bachchan LP Record.




7) Recoverd and Time to Resume the Coolie Shooting......! Coolie Shooting resumed on 7th January 1983...! Pictures from coolie shoot locations...! He had huge welcome from fans...media....and everyone...! And proved everyone wrong who said he can't come back....! Amitabh Bachchan ....King of Self Power.



 






















SMILE is BACK.......!!


      !!......God Bless The God of Cinema ......The Legend of Legends....Shri Amitabh Bachchan....!!



    

Now, Here  is the Blog-Post which Mr.Bachchan posted on his blog on 2nd August 2009 about Coolie.



August the 2nd ! And I am surprised that there are some among you that remember this day ! Thank you for your sentiments and thank you for making me alive again at 27 years !
Abhishek PING ed me the first from Ooty. 2882 !! he exclaimed, happy birthday Pop, you just turned 27 and I am older than you. I thought he was referring to the pedometer and the number that I should achieve for the day. But its 02.08.1982 - 2nd of August 1982 ! The day I was clinically dead.. and then survived !! Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai after the accident on the sets of ‘Coolie’ in Bangalore.
27 years !! And it seems like it was yesterday.
Coolie in Bangalore being shot because Manji - Man Mohan Desai wanted a genuine railway station and wasn’t getting permission for one in then Bombay. The authorities had been most co operative. They had blocked off an entire platform for us and made it so convenient for us to work that I sometimes joked with Manji whether he had taken over the Railway Ministry !
That telephone call from Smita Patil a night before. She was a dear friend and a hesitant entrant to the commercial mainstream escapist cinema, which she felt extremely awkward performing for. I used you to encourage her along. She was uncomfortable with the song and dance routine. In the spoken scenes she wanted to justify what she was asked to speak. She questioned the outlandish costumes that were designed for her and insisted on being presented in as natural and normal a manner as possible, even in the most over the top scenes. She got her way. She was a strong woman with very strong basics - the average common person. She never contributed to or was ever concerned about image and glamor and position. She had always wished her work to be as close to genuine as possible. A tough girl who never succumbed to the frills of the typical Indian commercial Cinema. Yet her countenance was so far removed from what she believed in. She was gentle and frail almost in appearance and speech, but her presence committed and determined. I had done her first commercial film with her, Namak Halaal. She would shy away from all the ‘ridiculous’ moments for her in the film, but goaded and assured she would go and perform to perfection. After its release and its massive success, she worked with me in Shakti and when she arrived in Madras to shoot for a sequence that we were doing there, she was like an excited embarrassed child when she informed us that in the flight people were asking her for her autograph; something she said she had not experienced before. We would meet on the sets and on occasion at a formal gathering or a rare function. I never knew her socially nor did we interact as friends. It was therefore most surprising for me to get her call in the middle of the night at an alien destination. She herself was at a remote location for a film and telephony was not the most immediate and convenient facility in 1982 India. She sounded concerned, an attitude I had not expected from her. She asked after my health and wondered if I was alright. She had had a bad dream she said. And then after a few pleasantries, she disconnected. I had never spoken to her before on the phone. I did not know her well enough to have indulged in such activity and neither had our interactions gone beyond the action on set. So yes I was intrigued. The next day Jaya and the kids had come over from Bombay, it being a weekend and life was normal. We were shooting some action sequences at the platform and all went off well. I had to jump off an over bridge on to the roof of a moving train and that went without incident. The next was a dive from inside a moving train on to a trolley at the platform, the trolley then in motion carrying me down a large portion of steps that went rolling down into the basement of a tunnel. And that went off well. We shifted location to the Bangalore University campus next and many daring deeds were performed. Until … perhaps the most simplest of shots, of taking a punch in the stomach and rolling over a table, brought me to a halt. In more ways than one..
There was sharp pain as soon as I got up after ‘cut’ had been announced. I had experienced it before many times in the boxing ring in School. Its like a punch from your opponent in the solar plexus. You get ‘winded’. You grimace and try to find your breath. In the ring the ’seconds’ help you take deep intakes of it and get you to touch your feet a couple of times and you are ready for the next ’round’. But on set that day the pain did not go. On set in front of crew and visitors you tend to feel embarrassed if you are injured and show it. Pretending as though all was well, I slowly walked out to a small lawn and lay down. No one came up to me to inquire. No one thought I was in distress, in fact they thought I was shamming pain in order that Manji would declare a wrap for the grueling day that the unit had been through. Many home remedies were suggested by various people intermittently, while the shooting continued with the others. Things were being considered as normal. I requested Manji to be excused for the day, asked for a car to drop me back to the Hotel and drove out for about 45 mins in excruciating pain over a rather bumpy road. I reached my room, snapped at little Abhishek, who had a habit of greeting me everyday on return from my shoot, with a leap on my chest, and collapsed on my bed, having just about enough energy to tell Jaya to get my personal physician across from Bomabay urgently and to send the kids back home.
The entire night I wreathed in pain and kept asking for morphine to relieve it. By the morning doctors came with portable X-ray machines and took pictures since I was unable to move. They shifted me to the Philomena Hospital in Bangalore, a facility with limited means at that time. Much of my activity and my memory is a blur from then on. I was slipping into a coma, the pain was getting worse, I was having trouble breathing and kept snatching away the oxygen mask that was being put over my face. My dearest friend Habib, Jaya and my brother whom I has asked for, were the only ones next to me. I had no idea of what was transpiring elsewhere. I remember Habib coaxing me to keep talking and even singing, as instructed by doctors to avoid me slipping into unconsciousness. I vaguely remember a tiny bird that kept appearing on the window of the room I was in. And I remember humming the background score of Mr Natwarlal repeatedly when urged to sing.
What happened after is not known to me. But several days went by until I could register anything. In between, moments of consciousness did occur. I recollect Javed Saheb the writer and poet Javed Akhtar, of many of my successful films and his wife Honey, parents of Farhan Akhtar by my bedside in Bangalore and me responding to them in slurred tongue. But that is all.
A very senior and renowned neuro surgeon who had come to the Hospital for a surgery on one of his patients was requested by Jaya to take a look at me before I was to be shifted to Bombay by the evening flight and I am told he stood by the door of my room and announced - “Get him on the operating table , right now, else you will be taking a dead body on the evening flight”.
I was operated. It was then for the first time discovered that I had ruptured an intestine and that the poison had flown out into the stomach and was attacking all the organs. The doctor had warned that his surgery was not adequate, that he had merely eased the situation and that the gut would burst again in a few days.
Indian Airlines had graciously removed seats in the front cabin of the aircraft to allow me to be transported there on the stretcher and the Hospital set up a mini mobile ICU for the duration of the flight. It was the monsoons in July and weather conditions were a concern especially since any bump was a huge worry for the doctors and for me. Most of the flight I was too drugged to remember, but I do remember that it was one of the smoothest landings ever at the airport, despite the heavy rain conditions and I do remember the spontaneous applause from the passengers on the flight, in appreciation of the fantastic job that the Captain had  accomplished. I was taken off on the food service carrier for convenience and in doing so some drops of rain fell on my face. A drop lay on my eyes and Javed Saheb removed it. Honey and he later narrated the incident to me, emotionally - “It was a terribly sad sight to see, you, this symbol of the angry young man full of vigor and action, unable to raise a finger to remove a drop of rain over your eye !!”
On an ambulance supplied and operated by the Shiv Sena under instructions from Bala Saheb Thakeray I was moved from the airport to Breach Candy Hospital. Mr Yash Johar, Karan’s father did all the arrangements. He had been shuttling between Bangalore and Madras on rapid visits, getting urgent medications and blood platelets required for me while I was at Philomena Hospital. A selfless gentleman Yashji, was always on hand to help and assist anyone in trouble. He was the one that travelled to London to convince the two specialist doctors of the country to come over to Bombay to attend to me when I developed complications. One of the finest humans you could ever have come across. Loved and respected by all, sadly no more with us now.
As predicted on the fifth day the stomach burst open again and I had to be operated. Under the guidance of the marvelous Dr F Udwadia and his team the second surgery within five days went off well, but … I did not come out of it … for hours they battled with my system to revive me to consciousness .. and nothing … Jaya was beckoned by the doctors and told there was no hope .. she was brought to my bedside to have a last look …
It was then that Dr Udwadia decided to give me one last shot .. my BP and pulse was almost zero .. I had sunk to a clinical death one could say .. but Udwadia persisted .. 40 ampules of cortisone one after another in rapid succession was pumped into me. He knew what the consequences of that excessiveness would do to my insides, but he took the risk. His argument being that revival at this stage was of importance, consequences he would tackle later. The  procedure continued at feverish pace, when …. Jaya noticed my toe move and shouted it out to the doctors busy with the upper portion of my body.
Loud shouts from the doctors asking my name and who I was ensued next, to keep me talking and conscious … I lived ..
It was late in the night.. very late .. an entire day had gone by … it was the 2nd of August 1982 !! Happy Birthday !!
The days after, at the Hospital, are by themselves another detail. If it is desired I shall talk of it .. perhaps on another occasion.
But for now … good night … God is Great … read a banner outside Prateeksha as I drove in after a couple of months at Breach Candy..  HIS ways are unique and we shall never know why HE does what to whom ..

Amitabh Bachchan