Sholay voted most iconic film of the century

Sholay is the story of two criminals hired to capture a ruthless dacoit.

After months of waiting, the title of the ‘top movie of the century’ has been decided, and goes to the iconic action drama Sholay. The film, that was intentionally released on August 15, 1975, starred Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar.

Sholay, shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, Karnataka, is the story of two criminals hired to capture a ruthless dacoit by the name of Gabbar Singh.

The film drew its plot heavily from the conventions of Western films, reports bollywood.com.

The polling to decide the most iconic Indian film of the past 100 years was done under The Hindustan Times’ initiative, Cinema@100, to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema.

In the first round of the contest, based on public voting, 10 movies were shortlisted out of the 100 memorable films of the century.

The celebration moved into the second phase with thousands of votes pouring in from across India to then choose the most iconic film out of the ten. Ecstatic about Sholay’s win, the film’s director Ramesh Sippy says: “I’m humbled and overwhelmed that Sholay has been titled the top movie of the century in the HT contest.” India.nydailynews.com also quoted the director thanking his fans for remembering his film released a couple of decades ago. “I’d like to thank everyone who voted for my film.” Not many, especially the young movie-goers, know that Sholay was not an instant box-office hit. Its popularity rose, through word-of-mouth several weeks after its release.

According to the poll, followed by Sholay, respectively, are 3 Idiots, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Mother India, Mughal-e-Azam, Taare Zameen Par, Lagaan, Guide, Chak De! India, and finally, Anand.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2012.