50 Years Of Sholay: Why 1975 Remains The Golden Year Of Bollywood

The year that turns Golden this year — 1975 — was a truly sparkling one for Hindi cinema. The ‘miracle’ movie, Jai Santoshi Maa, released in May, vied for supremacy with the movie miracle, Sholay, which still wears the crown of the biggest hit of all time. However, Jai Santoshi Maa remains to be the most profit making film.

Miracle movie

A small film funded by a non-film family, whose daughter-in-law had conceived after doing Santoshi Mata’s vrat, Jai Santoshi Maa, remains a phenomenon that has few equals. Made at a cost of around Rs. 3.5 lakh, it did a whopping business of almost Rs. 5 crore, released mostly in small theatres with humble ticket-rates. The music, like the film, was a rage, and its three-month lead before Sholay came in added to its massive biz.

The film that made Santoshi Mata a cult name as a Goddess, was so loved that the audience would remove their footwear before entering the movie hall! Aartis were held within the auditorium and there were special Janani (only for ladies and children) shows too. The biggest hit of the year in ROI (Return on Investment or cost-to-profit ratio), it made the devotional film a hot genre as herd mentality filmmakers jumped onto the bandwagon, though none could equal its success. The non-star-cast film resonated with the audience like few did before and none after.

Cult film

The film that was shaped and reshaped before it was finally made, complete with two climaxes shot, became epic. The first Hindi film with stereophonic sound and the first to succeed in the 70 mm format, Sholay, earned over Rs. 15 crore and was made in about Rs. 3 crore. As per a 2000 report, at least, the film was running every single day for 25 years in some movie hall in the country, and reportedly made over Rs. 40 lakh each year! However, it was declared a flop in first week and left the makers wondering till it picked up in the second week and rest as they say is history.

Gabbar Singh became a phenomenon and even a model for biscuit ads, while for the first time, the “current booking” window opened only around the 75th week of its five-year first run! Every ticket was sold in advance. The instant stardom for Amjad Khan (who had done a cameo in Hindustan Ki Kasam a year earlier) and the Platinum Disc issued for combined sales of its double-soundtrack (dialogues) LP records along with the music album were other highlights.

The stars

Dharmendra, who was paid more than Amitabh Bachchan in the Sholay, proved his mastery at varied genres — comedy (Chupke Chupke), action (Pratiggya, Sholay) melodrama (Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka).

But it was Amitabh Bachchan who scored five hits of six movies and displayed immense range. Humour (Chupke Chupke), drama (Mili), action (Sholay) with the Angry Young Man overtones (Deewaar, Zameer) showcased the ‘typed’ Amitabh as well as the versatile all-rounder he was to soon become.

Hema Malini had six releases, with her best work seen in the modestly successful true story, Dulhan along with Pratiggya, Khushboo and Sholay. The ‘next in command, Zeenat Aman had a low-key year though both her films, Chori Mera Kaam

and Warrant (Dev Anand’s last success with a non-Navketan banner)

were hits. Rishi Kapoor had his first post-Bobby release in the flop, Zahreela Insaan followed by other films with Neetu Singh, with whom he fell in love during the making of Khel Khel Mein, as per the film’s director, Ravi Tandon. Their Rafoo Chakkar was a modest success, though the musical Zinda Dil failed to make the grade.

Sunil Dutt (Zakhmee, Umar Qaid) and Feroz Khan (Dharmatma, inspired by Godfather and Kaala Sona) also scored. Veteran Manoj Kumar added to his King Midas reputation with Sanyasi. The film signalled a comeback for Shankar of Shankar-Jaikishan fame and became his patch-up vehicle with Lata Mangeshkar after an 11-year (post-Sangam) break.

Hits and misses

Lakshmi from the South made a triumphant beginning with Julie, also marking the first Hindi film of Sridevi — but as a child artiste! Vikram became a passingly saleable small-budget film hero. Rajesh Roshan consolidated his status after Kunwara Baap with the standout music of the film, with Preeti Sagar singing My heart is beating, an English song. Sachin and Sarika, both established child artistes, turned lead artistes with the sleeper hit, Geet Gaata Chal.

Bappi Lahiri got his first hit with Zakhmee. Encouraged by co-singer Mohammed Rafi, he turned singer with Nothing is impossible, in which he was one of the three voices with Rafi and Kishore Kumar.

Smita Patil also made a transition from being a Doordarshan newsreader to actress with Nishant, while Sulakshana Pandit, traversing a long road from child- to adult singer, turned heroine with Uljhan, a hit with Sanjeev Kumar.

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As for Sanjeev, apart from Sholay and Uljhan, his most memorable performance was in Aandhi, which featured Bengal icon Suchitra Sen in a show inspired by Indira Gandhi’s life. The film was even banned for a while for that reason, though director Gulzar’s other film, Khushboo, was a hit. But to balance out, Shankar Mukerji’s thriller, Faraar, written by Gulzar, flopped.

Gulzar’s mentor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, directed and co-produced the iconic laugh-riot Chupke Chupke and the tear-fest that was Mili within weeks of each other. Both films, like Sholay, featured the husband-wife team of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri (as she was still called). However, Hrishi-da’s third release was not so lucky—Chaitali, a movie he took over after the legendary Bimal Roy’s demise, was a disaster. The last film from Roy’s banner, it featured Dharmendra and Saira Banu.

The musical scene was strobe-lit by Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Dulhan, Prem Kahani, Pratiggya, Zinda Dil, Aakraman, Ponga Pandit), R.D. Burman (Sholay, Khel Khel Mein, Aandhi, Warrant) and Kalyanji-Anandji (Dharmatma, Chori Mera Kaam) apart from the songs of Jai Santoshi Maa, Julie, Zakhmee, Sanyasi, Chupke Chupke, Sapan Chakravorty’s Zameer and Ravindra Jain’s Geet Gaata Chal.

Khel Khel Mein

Fun facts

• Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar tried to recreate their Sangam magic with the caper, Do Jasoos.

• Shakti Samanta made his first (Hindi-Bengali) bilingual in Amanush, also Uttam Kumar’s first hit in Hindi.

• Randhir Kapoor got his first success as director with Dharam Karam. He would have to wait a full 16 years for his next, Henna.

• Aakhri Daao, a thriller inspired by a foreign source, became Salim-Javed’s first film as a writing duo to not reach even the silver jubilee mark after eight hits in a row from Haathi Mere Saathi to Deewaar.

• Sunehra Sansar saw Kishore Kumar record his only song ever for Naushad.