Some movies become so deeply ingrained in our culture that they transcend being mere films. One such movie that defines Indian cinema and will continue to do so for generations is Sholay. With "legendary" written all over it, this film boasts some of the most iconic names we now call legends. Released in 1975, Sholay slowly became a cultural ambassador of India, achieving resounding success for a reason. Director Ramesh Sippy risked everything to create a movie that was unprecedented in Indian cinema. His recent revelation about taking 23 days to shoot one of the most subtle yet iconic scenes of the movie highlights the lengths he went to in crafting this masterpiece. 

Ramesh Sippy on Sholay’s Special Scene

In case you don’t recall, the scene where Jaya Bachchan is standing on her balcony in the evening and Amitabh Bachchan sits across the street gazing at her is unforgettable. That scene had its own magic, and creating that magic took 23 days. The reason? Ramesh Sippy wanted the scene to be shot entirely during the "magic hour"—a fleeting period of time just before sunset—allowing only a couple of minutes each day to film. To get it perfect, they spent nearly a month capturing that single scene, which had no dialogue and risked being dismissed as just another moment.

At a masterclass at IFFI Goa 2024, Ramesh Sippy spoke about Sholay and this scene in particular. He explained how the moment felt instinctively right and how they only had two minutes each day to film it. He said: "The scene between Amitabh and Jaya depicted a silent love between them because she is a widow. This sequence suddenly felt right just at that time when day turns into night. When I spoke to the cameraman, he said that we can only shoot during that magic hour, so we had only those two minutes."

Sippy revealed how the shooting schedule for Sholay was meticulously planned to capture the moment perfectly. They would film other scenes during the day and set up the special shot in the evening so that, when the magic hour arrived, they were ready to roll. He added:

"My father (GP Sippy), who was the producer, never said a single word about what his son was doing—spending 23 days shooting one scene. He wanted me to make it my own way."

The Role of Salim-Javed

During the discussion, Sippy also spoke about Javed Akhtar's involvement in the filming process. While the film was written by the iconic duo Salim-Javed, Sippy revealed that Akhtar wasn’t always on set. He emphasized that the dialogues were already written, and the writers were not consulted for visual adjustments or scene setups that were being altered during filming.

Sholay features Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Amjad Khan, Jaya Bachchan, and many others in pivotal roles. 

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