Restored Sholay to Hit Theatres With Original Ending, Javed Akhtar Confirms

A restored version of the iconic Hindi blockbuster Sholay, complete with its original ending, will soon hit theatres across India, eminent poet, lyricist, and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar announced in Bhubaneswar.

Akhtar, who played a major role in shaping the film—from character development to plot and dialogue—revealed that the original climax had been altered in 1975 after the Censor Board objected to a law-abiding former police officer taking justice into his own hands.

Director Ramesh Sippy’s intended ending featured Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) killing Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), but the released version showed Thakur capturing Gabbar alive and handing him over to the police.

Akhtar was speaking at the literary festival of SOA University here.

In the upcoming restored edition, marking the film’s 50th anniversary, audiences will finally get to see the originally planned ending where Thakur kills Gabbar.

Speaking on the evolution of Indian cinema, Akhtar remarked that cinema reflects societal changes rather than causing them. “Cinema is not the disease; it is the symptom,” he said, adding that films evolve as society does. Referencing classics like the 1955 Devdas, he noted that such films may not resonate with today’s audience.

He discussed various phases in Bollywood—from the era of “angry young man” films to portrayals of thakurs and zamindars as villains—explaining that these trends reflected prevailing social realities. Today, he observed, mainstream cinema features fewer traditional villains.

Akhtar also highlighted a decline in literary engagement over the past 40–45 years, lamenting that people often associate speaking one’s mother tongue with humble origins. While endorsing the importance of learning English, he emphasized that it should not come at the cost of regional languages.

On the role of Artificial Intelligence in cinema and music, Akhtar expressed skepticism about AI’s creative capabilities, citing his iconic song “Breathless” with Shankar Mahadevan.

“Can AI do Breathless today using my words and Mahadevan’s voice? It cannot,” he said, though he acknowledged AI’s potential as it continues to develop.

Akhtar also shared an anecdote about writing the beloved song “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga” for the 1994 film 1942: A Love Story.

Despite forgetting about the assignment until just hours before a meeting, inspiration struck during his drive—and the first line of the now-famous song came to him unexpectedly.