There are a few films that make such an impact that people of all generations remember it. Sholay is one such film which although, it came out 1975, but till date is amassing fans from various generations.
This film is almost a must watch for every person, and usually parents would make a family time out of watching it all together. I know from personal experience that one of the things that truly drew me to this film was the enthusiasm my parents showed for it.
If it had not been for them, reciting the dialogues or singing along with the songs,
I doubt this film would have meant as much to me as it did.
But apart from that, there is just something so universal about this film that whether it is a person in the 80’s, 90’s or 2000’s, all are somehow able to relate to this angsty and noble tale comprising of two goons, a mysterious police office, a horse-cart driver and an unbeatable villain.
One of the things that I find count towards its success it is brilliant mix of various different genres without being too heavy on either one. Sholay is not a romance, action, thriller, but it somehow combines facets of all them into one single film.
For romance lovers it has got the feisty and humorous love story of Veeru and Basanti, offset beautifully by the silent but ultimately tragic blossoming love between Jai and Radha. There is even the epic brotherhood between Jai and Veeru would literally die for each other.
On the other hand for the action and thriller lovers we have the long time feud between Thakur and Gabbar Singh. Their interactions are freight with violence and tension that has cultivated over years of animosity between both of them.
Another thing that perfectly works for this film and makes it suitable for all ages, is its place of filming, in this weird detached from civilization town called Ramgarh. This town can be put in any time and place and would be able to fit it self in, which in turn allows a wider range of imagination for people, no matter where they are living presently.
The last two things are the casting and the characterization of each character, which has only just enhanced the viewing experience. Sholay was one of the few films that was able to give almost equal importance to each character, thus in essence, there was no one hero and one heroine of the film.
Each role was equally important to the plot of film and without any, the movie would probably not have been as good as it came out be.
Signing off, I would just say that, if one even claims the title of being a film fanatic, then watching Sholay is a must. So stop reading this article and go watch it. Watch it again even if you’ve watched it several times, because… why not?
Other Recommendations:
http://edtimes.in/2016/02/what-makes-a-movie-good/
http://edtimes.in/2016/02/aligarh-review/
