‘Sholay is back’: Restored version of 1975 classic screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival

The legendary 1975 Bollywood classic ‘Sholay’ made a triumphant return to the big screen as a restored and uncut version premiered at the prestigious Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy. The screening, held under the stars at the historic Piazza Maggiore on Friday night, marked the film’s 50th anniversary.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan, Sholay is widely regarded as one of India’s most iconic cinematic masterpieces. Written by the legendary duo Salim-Javed and directed by Ramesh Sippy, the film continues to hold a permanent place in Indian pop culture with its unforgettable characters like Jai, Veeru, Thakur, and the notorious villain Gabbar Singh.

Film Heritage Foundation founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur shared emotional moments from the screening on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

“What an incredible feeling to see restored ‘Sholay’ with the original ending at Piazza Maggiore in Bologna. It felt like reliving my childhood—50 years later, Sholay is truly back.”

The restored edition features six minutes of previously unseen footage, including the film’s original climax, where Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar) kills Gabbar (Amjad Khan) — a scene that was censored during the Emergency era in India. In the released 1975 version, Gabbar is arrested instead.

The restoration process took over three years and was a joint effort between the Film Heritage Foundation and Sippy Films Pvt Ltd. The screening drew an enthusiastic crowd that stayed until 1 AM to witness the epic saga in its truest form.

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