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Sholay: Every character of the cult film ‘Sholay’, released in 1975, is iconic. Dharmendra also became immortal by becoming a hero in this. However, very few people know that Dharmendra wanted to play some other role in ‘Shol’ and not Veeru.
26 November, 2025
Sholay: Bollywood’s handsome he-man Dharmendra made many generations crazy with his smile and charming style. But that same man said goodbye to the world on November 24, 2025 at the age of 89. In such a situation, many of his memorable characters are being talked about and among them is the role of Veeru in ‘Sholay’. Anyway, how can the cheerful and lively Veeru be forgotten? But do you know that Dharmendra wanted to play not Veeru himself but another powerful character of ‘Sholay’?
Veeru was not to be!
Actually, Dharmendra’s first choice to work in ‘Sholay’ was not Veeru, but the role of Thakur Baldev Singh. This disclosure was made by the film’s director Ramesh Sippy himself in an interview. Actually, Dharmendra felt that the real story of the film revolved around Thakur. On the other hand, he also found a colorful villain like Gabbar quite attractive. That’s why he was thinking whether to become Thakur or Gabbar.
Also read: Dharmendra’s family is full of 2 marriages, four daughters, two sons and 13 grandchildren.
Hema changed the game
‘Sholay’ director Ramesh Sippy convinced Dharmendra in a very interesting way. He said in a light-hearted manner – ‘Dharam ji, you can do any role, but then you will not get Hema Malini’. Actually, the real life romance of Dharmendra and Hema Malini had started during that period. In such a situation, Ramesh Sippy threw Brahmastra and the matter was resolved. Finally Dharmendra agreed to play the role of Veeru. This became the role for which Dharmendra is best remembered even today.
Jai-Veeru’s friendship
That iconic scene of the water tank, Jai-Veeru’s pairing and Dharmendra’s cute banter with Basanti together made Veeru immortal. On the other hand, the role of Thakur was played by Sanjeev Kumar and the role of Gabbar Singh went to Amjad Khan. By the way, this fact will also surprise you that both Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar initially wanted to play the role of Gabbar. But when the film was made, every character seemed to fit perfectly in its place and ‘Sholay’ became a cult classic film.
will be released again
Well, there is great news for the fans of the film, because ‘Sholay’ is being released in theaters again on December 12, 2025. This time the audience will get a chance to watch the original uncut version of the film in 4K for the first time. This means that once again we are getting a chance to experience ‘Sholay’ on the silver screen. Apart from Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan and Hema Malini, brilliant actors like Jagdeep, Kesto Mukherjee, AK Hangal Leela Mishra were also seen in the film.
