Since the beginning, Shatrughan and Dharmendra shared a close bond. They worked together in several films like Blackmail, Dost, Ganga Tere Desh Mein, Shehzaade, Taaqat, and more, and they would have worked in Sholay too had Dharmendra not recommended Big B’s name for Jai’s role. In an old interview with India TV, Dharmendra had recalled suggesting Big B’s name to Sippy, which upset Shatrughan Sinha, who even confronted him.

Dharmendra once shared, “I never said it, but since Amitabh himself has started talking about it now, so I’ll admit it. Yes, I got him the role. Amitabh used to come to me for this role. Otherwise, it was going to Shatrughan Sinha.”

“When Shatru got to know, he came to me and said, ‘Paaji, you gave my role to him!’ To which I replied, ‘I wasn’t sure what to do. Amitabh had come to me first, so I thought I should give it to him,’ ” he further revealed.

“We would have also done Sholay together, but fate willed it otherwise. It is always a pleasure to work with an actor who has no feeling of one-upmanship. Dharmendra is a very confident man and artiste. He has never coveted other actors’ roles, never indulged in competitive games. There is not a malicious bone in that rugged body,” Shatrughan has once shared while interacting with Subhash K. Jha in an old interview.

Sholay to re-release in theatres

The landmark Indian classic Sholay is set to hit theatres once again, this time in a fully restored 4K version titled Sholay – The Final Cut. The nationwide re-release, scheduled for December 12, 2025, marks the film’s 50th anniversary and will be showcased across 1,500 theatres.

What makes this release historic is the reinstatement of the film’s original uncut ending — screened publicly for the first time in five decades. Ahead of its 1975 release, the climax was altered due to strict censorship imposed during India’s Emergency era. Now, viewers will finally be able to watch Sholay exactly as director Ramesh Sippy intended.

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