Javed Akhtar doesn’t feel happy when praised for Sholay: 'Mere liye kaafi afsos ki baat hai...'

Javed Akhtar on Sholay

One of the best works of Salim-Javed, Sholay (1975), marked its 50th anniversary this year. It starred legendary actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan, among others. Sholay continues to remain iconic with its storyline, powerful dialogues, and chartbuster songs such as Mehbooba Mehbooba and Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge, to name a few. On Mid-day's Sit With Hitlist series, Javed Akhtar gets candid about the film and why he feels regret when appreciated for it.

I worked on Sholay 50 years ago: Javed Akhtar

The veteran screenwriter says that he doesn't feel happy when people praise him by mentioning Sholay, a project he worked on 50 years ago. He explains in Hindi, "Mere liye kaafi afsos ki baat hai. Agar koi mujhe Sholay ki baat kare, toh 50 saal pehle main ek kaam kiya tha, jo wo appreciate kar rahe hain, toh main baaki 50 saal kya kar raha tha? I should think that, instead of feeling happy. "Ho ho, yeh Sholay ki tarif kar raha hai." Are bhaiya, tune 50 saal mein koi aur kaam nahi kiye, jiski wo tarif kar sakhe? Toh bade afsos ki baat hai. Aaram se raho, socho kya karna hai, don't live in your past. Bilkul bekar baat hai."

(It's quite a matter of regret for me. If someone talks to me about Sholay, a film I worked on 50 years ago, and they're still appreciating that work, then I have to ask myself - what have I been doing for the other 50 years? That's what I should be thinking, instead of feeling happy. "Oh wow, they're praising Sholay." But brother, didn't you do any other work in 50 years that they could praise? So, it's something to regret. Take it easy, reflect on what you want to do - Don't live in your past. It's a completely pointless thing to do.)

What is the film Sholay about

Sholay revolves around the village of Ramgarh, where retired police chief Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) plots to bring down the notorious bandit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) and enlists the help of two lesser criminals, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra). When Gabbar attacks the village, Jai and Veeru wonder why Thakur does nothing to help them. They soon learn that he has no arms and that Gabbar was the one who cut them off. Enraged by this, they redouble their efforts to help Thakur.