Restored, uncut version of ‘Sholay’ to be showcased at Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna

New Delhi: "Sholay", one of India's most celebrated films of all time, is set to create magic on the big screen once again with the premiere of its fully restored, uncut version at the prestigious Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy.

The screening, commemorating the film’s 50th anniversary, will take place on June 27 at the open-air Piazza Maggiore, said a press release.

Featuring an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bacchan and Amjad Khan, “Sholay” was written by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar and directed by Ramesh Sippy.

The film is considered an inalienable part of Indian pop culture due to its popular characters like Jai, Veeru and Thakur as well as Gabbar Singh, one of the iconic villains of Hindi cinema, and plenty of dialogues and action sequences.

“Some things in life remain permanently etched in your mind. 'Sholay' is one such film," said Amitabh Bachchan, who played the role of Jai in the movie.

He also recalled the "unforgettable experience" of shooting the movie.

"At the time I had no idea that it would be a watershed for Indian cinema. Its dramatic change in fortunes from being declared an unsuccessful venture, to its record-breaking box office run was an emotional rollercoaster for all of us.

"It’s wonderful that the Film Heritage Foundation has restored 'Sholay' and that they have managed to locate and include the original ending as well as some deleted scenes in the restoration. I hope that even 50 years later, the film will capture the imagination of new audiences across the world," he added.

Dharmendra, who essayed the part of Veeru, called “Sholay" the 8th wonder of the world.

"I am thrilled to hear that the film is being restored and I am sure it will have the same success as it had 50 years ago. Who can forget the dialogues of Salim-Javed and the direction of Ramesh Sippy? So many scenes have gone down in the history of Indian cinema and every character became a star. But the real hero was the coin," he said.

The veteran actor revealed that he was initially offered the choice between the roles of Gabbar and Thakur, but he wanted to play the role of Veeru as "he is so much like me".

"I had so much fun on the shoot. My favourite scenes were the tanki scene, the scene in the temple, and so many others, but the most powerful scene I feel was the death of Jai, which is still etched in my mind," he added.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation, said, “My first memory of Sholay dates back to the time when I was six years old and I remember lamenting because my mother refused to allow me to go to the cinema to watch the film." "I would never have imagined that 50 years later, I would have the opportunity to work on the restoration of the film – often described as the greatest Indian film ever made – with Shehzad Sippy of Sippy Films," he added.

Sippy, representing Sippy Films, called the project a deeply personal journey.

“‘Sholay is the cornerstone of our family heritage and I am so proud that Sippy Films has been able to do a world-class restoration of the film with the Film Heritage Foundation. It has taken us three years, but we were able to find the original ending and some deleted scenes that the world will see for the first time at the grand premiere at the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna," he added.