Aarey o Samba kitne saal hue?

Thirty eight years after the release of ‘Sholay’ the producers are launching a 3D version of the film. While the film’s director Ramesh Sippy is fighting an ongoing battle on copyright issue with the family in court, the third generation of G P Sippy is ready to showcase the trailer of the classic.

It was a milestone moment at PVR Juhu to revisit the film footage in stereophonic sound and Dolby effect in the company of the young producer Sasha Sippy, distributor Jayantilal Gada, Ketan Mehta of Maya Digital and of course writers of Sholay Salim-Javed.

For years filmmakers tried to bring the duo to work together again but it never happened. They fought a common opponent – ‘Zanjeer’ on the copyright issue and now share a platform for the 3D release of Sholay proving that life is indeed stranger than fiction.

I chatted with Salim and Javed independently and together and I realised that while a lot had changed over the decades, a lot remained the same.

Then, their credit mentioned them as Salim-Javed. Today, they are referred to as Salimsaab and Javedsaab. Then, both wore denim jeans and shirts. Today, Salim still wears jeans while Javed dons designer kurtas. Then, both had black heavy mop of hair. Today, Salim’s hair has turned brown and Javed’s hair is silver. Then, neither needed reading glasses. Today, Salim wears rimmed glasses while Javed after his laser surgery has done away with spectacles.

Both still have an attitude but have mellowed with time. The wit and old humour is still intact and it is evident in the way they take my questions.

Salim: We had not imagined during the making of the film that it was going to be such a big hit. We were writing and selling scripts. The idea of a dacoit spreading fear in a remote village had been with us for a while and we had narrated it to a couple of producers but somehow nobody picked it up. Then GP Sippy called us for a story. We sold him ‘Majboor’. He liked the plot but said he wanted something bigger – an outdoor film with lots of characters, so Javedsaab and I narrated the dacoit idea and within just 15 minutes, he confirmed the project.

Javed: You have to grant it to producer GP Sippy for his vision. He was a large hearted, passionate filmmaker rather a dreamer and left no stone unturned to ensure that his son Ramesh Sippy made a great film. A film is always great in retrospect, when you are shooting it every department is merely doing their job. When I saw the film this morning my immediate reaction was of awe. That the film sustains you after 38 long years is incredible!

Salim: All of us jointly agreed that the original should be transferred into the 3D version without any content or creative changes. The process of making a 3D version is very tedious, intricate and expensive process. We are proud that we have done this in India with Maya Digital rather than spend time and money abroad. As for editing in the original, we had shot a track of another comedian a la Jagdeep and Asrani but did not use it because one, the length of the film was already beyond three hours and two, the track paled in comparison with the other tracks and we did not want a dull moment.

Javed: I would like to add here that for a very long time Salimsaab and I were blissfully unaware that a screenplay requires a second draft. We had never written a second draft of any of our films and our filmmakers and always submitted a complete bound script to the filmmaker on condition that not a word will be changed without our intervention. In those nobody reshot films as much as they do today. In our long association the only film that required reshoting was ‘Trishul’.

Salim: ‘Trishul was a great story but very heavy in content. Producer Gulshan Rai, Javedsaab and I saw the rushes together and all of us agreed that something was missing. In the car Gulshan Rai asked me if there was any way of saving the film and I said in good humour yes, there is one way by not releasing the film. Naturally Gulshanji was upset, he spoke to director Yash Chopra that we were merciless and cutting joke on the film. Yashji understood and together we convinced Gulshanji for some reshooting.

Javed : We were clear that we needed to reshoot 15 days reshoot but were unsure if the producer will agree so we decided to give a slow dose treatment, prepared him first for just three days, then a three day extension and another nine day extension until we had achieved what we wanted.

Salim : You have heard right, when we initially asked the filmmaker to include our names on posters they disagreed so we hired a local painter, provided him with a ladder and some black paint and asked him to paint the town with our name. He accomplished the assignment in one night.

Javed: The next morning the producer saw his posters marked with our credit scribbled on his poster anywhere the painter found space – beneath the face of the actor or on his hand and decided to include our credit hence forth. After this we got the mention on merit and never had to hire a painter.

Javed: I have come to the conclusion that there are three kinds of films. Hit films, super hits films and the third category called ‘Sholay’. Sholay cannot be remade because even if we cast the top actors as Veeru and Jay where do we get the heroines, what about Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar, Jagdeep, Asrani all the the characters are irreplaceable.

Salim: If you are expecting me to say Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan for Jay and Veeru that would be the most predictable answer. I feel some films cannot be remade or recast and ‘Sholay’ is among them. Such films just happen, they cannot be planned! Even if we want to Javedsaab and I cannot write a Sholay again.

Salim: We are together now talking to you.

Javed: Have a little patience, you will discover in time.