'Lambu Ko To Mat Lena': Ramesh Sippy Was Advised On Amitabh Bachchan As He Planned Sholay Cast

In a conversation with Vir Sanghvi, the filmmaker talked about two of his most celebrated film 'Sholay' and 'Shaan' and how the films were ahead of their times and are relatable even today.

Picture Courtesy: ABP Live| Twitter

New Delhi: Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy joined the ABP team for a candid conversation during the second day of ABP Network’s Ideas Of India Summit held in Mumbai on Saturday. In a conversation with Senior Journalist, TV Presenter and author Vir Sanghvi, the filmmaker talked about two of his most celebrated film 'Sholay' and 'Shaan' and how the films were ahead of their times and are relatable even today. Ramesh Sippy was joined by popular singer Usha Uthup and veteran violinist, Dr. L Subramanian.

The topic of the discussion was, 'Agenda For The Future | Freedom's Children: Remembering The Country They Grew Up In'.

Vir Sanghvi began the discussion by asking Ramesh Sippy what went behind the ideation of 'Sholay', a film that released in the 1970s but is relatable even today, securing its place as one of the cult classics. Replying to the question, sippy said, "I think, we are still pondering what keeps Sholay even alive till today. To keep it that much ahead of its time that its still relatable to those with you and behind you and the future. But I think what appealed most was the very direct story telling and subtlity even in performances for that time certainly."

The veteran filmmaker, who has movies like 'Andaz', 'Seeta Aur Geeta', 'Shakti' among others to his credit, also talked about the casting of the 1975 blockbuster hit 'Sholay', that had several celebrated stars in one film.

On casting Amitabh Bachchan in the film as the silent and intense 'Jai', Sippy said, "Amitabh Bachchan was not recognised as the star that he became after the movie, at that time. At a party, I was even told by someone 'Is Lambu ko to bilkul mat lena'. But I had seen him in 'Anand' and in 'Bombay To Goa', and I finally decided that we have enough stars, let's take a fine actor. And he became bigger than all of them."

For the unversed, Amjad Khan, who nailed his role as 'Gabbar' and became a legend, was not the first choice for the role. Actor Danny Denzongpa, who had already established his name as a villain, was somehow not able to do justice to Gabbar and that's where Amjad Khan stepped in.

Talking about casting Amjad in the film, the director said, "One character that stood out was Gabbar. He (Amjad Khan) was there a bit by accident as Danny Denzongpa was not able to play the role. By default Amjad Khan moved in and it was a last minute thing because we didn't want to miss the schedules. One had to work a little harder on him because he was new compared to the rest who were all stalwarts who had done a hell alot of work. So, it took a little time for him to get into the role. He was fantastic. The other thing was his voice. Lot of people wanted it dubbed. He had a strange voice which was not as baritone like it was expected to be. But it was that tone that made it so different. And that laughter of his. You can't dub that." 

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