Sholay to return to cinemas with original ending for the first time

Sholay is coming back to the big screen for its 50-year anniversary, this time with its never-before-seen original ending. The 1975 classic, widely regarded as one of Indian cinema’s greatest achievements, will return to select Cinépolis cinemas nationwide on December 12 in a newly restored, uncut 4K version titled Sholay: The Final Cut.

The re-release will finally let audiences see the climax that director Ramesh Sippy originally filmed but was forced to shelve before the movie’s debut. Back in 1975, during the Emergency, the Censor Board insisted on a toned-down ending, calling the original too violent for the times. With civil liberties curtailed and heavy scrutiny on films, the makers were compelled to reshoot the climax just before release.

In the version Indians have watched for five decades, Gabbar Singh is arrested by the police, and Thakur Baldev Singh stops short of killing him. But in the original Salim–Javed–penned ending, Thakur exacts revenge and kills Gabbar with his spiked shoe.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy, the film first released in 1975 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian films ever made. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Amjad Khan.

The film follows the story of two small-time criminals, Veeru and Jai, who are hired by former police officer Thakur Baldev Singh to capture the dreaded dacoit Gabbar Singh. Sholay became one of India’s highest-grossing and longest-running films, playing for over five years at Mumbai’s Minerva Theatre. The film was last released in 3D in 2014.

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