Sholay Celebrates 50 Years with World Premiere in Italy

A Historic Premiere for a Timeless Classic

The iconic film Sholay, directed by Ramesh Sippy, had its world premiere in a restored, uncut format at the renowned Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy, on June 27, 2025. This screening marked the 50th anniversary of the film and took place in the picturesque open-air setting of Piazza Maggiore.

Reflecting on this milestone, director Ramesh Sippy expressed his surprise at the film's enduring legacy, stating, “Did I ever think Sholay would come so far? Not at all! While we were confident in our work during production, we never anticipated it would break records and be hailed as one of the greatest films ever.”

Sippy recalled that upon its initial release, Sholay was considered a failure, receiving negative reviews and struggling to attract an audience. However, it gained momentum and became a box office success in its second week.

Despite his success with Sholay, Sippy does not regard it as his favorite film. He remarked, “I invested equal effort into all my films. Just because they didn’t achieve Sholay's level of success doesn’t mean they were made with less dedication. Both blockbusters and failures are not something you can plan.”

When asked about his favorite character from Sholay, Sippy quickly named Gabbar Singh, saying, “Gabbar is undoubtedly everyone’s favorite. Even Amitabh Bachchan wanted to portray him.”