Sholay is one of the cult classic films of Hindi cinema. Released in 1975, the film is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary on August 15 this year.
Directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay is fondly remembered for more reasons than one. From Jai-Veeru, Gabbar to Basanti and Thakur, each character had a defined arc in the film. In a recent interview, veteran actress Hema Malini revealed how her real-life romance with Dharmendra enhanced their onscreen chemistry in the 1975 film.
Hema Malini on Sholay, real-life romance with Dharmendra
In Sholay, audiences witnessed how Hema Malini’s Basanti eventually falls in love with Dharmendra’s Veeru. At that time, the actors were in love, in real life. In an interview with NDTV, the veteran actress spoke about their real-life romance vs reel chemistry.
“He was very fond of me as I was of him. We had a lovely relationship because we had worked on so many movies together. We shared so much with each other – sometimes they were problems, sometimes it was happiness. Eventually, friendship led to love, maybe that’s what was reflected on the big screen too, in the film,” she said.
She further mentioned, “It’s natural, isn’t it? A lovely friendship ultimately leads to love and care for each other.”
Hema Malini on mandir scene in Sholay
Earlier, in conversation with same publication, Hema Malini shared fond memories of filming mandir scene with Dharmendra. Interestingly, it was the first scene she shot for the movie. “The Mandir scene was the first scene I shot. It was a lot of fun. So innocently, Basanti was accepting everything and answering back to Lord Shiva. Everything was very different,” she said.
Apart from Hema Malini and Dharmendra, Sholay starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Amjad Khan, and Sanjeev Kumar.