Sholay (1975) remains a towering milestone in Indian cinema- a film whose characters, dialogues, and emotions continue to echo through generations. At its heart were Jai and Veeru, the unforgettable on-screen partnership of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.

But behind the camera lay a lesser-known truth: Amitabh wasn’t the first choice for Jai. His casting became possible only because Dharmendra stepped in at a decisive moment that changed the film’s destiny- and perhaps Bollywood’s.

Related Story: Sholay flashback! Amitabh Bachchan was ready to film Jai’s ‘resurrection’, but Ramesh Sippy stepped in and...

Ramesh Sippy’s Casting Puzzle

As reported by Scroll in 2015, director Ramesh Sippy initially feared that bringing together Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha, and Sanjeev Kumar- three power

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