Looking at the GOAT villain as Sholay turned 50. For, if you notice, Gabbar was ageless; not just metaphorically, also, literally!
The late Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh in a still from film Sholay. PIC/X/ @vinaykanchan5
As is true for films that become fables or stories that turn into legends, enough myths surround them, over time. Before there was fake news that AI could take seriously, there were quiz questions that we had no choice but to summarily admit as facts.
Only fair then that I call up screenwriter Javed Akhtar to verify if Gabbar from his script Sholay (1975) was, indeed, based on a notorious, 1950s bandit, Gabbar Singh Gujjar, born in 1926, Dang village, Madhya Pradesh, known to cut off body-parts of cops?
Javed, of the screenwriting duo Salim-Javed, immediately replies, “No. We called him Gabbar Singh, because we loved the sound of it.”
Bearded, bored, tobacco-chewing dacoit, Gabbar Singh, son of Hari Singh, in Army fatigues — the GOAT (greatest of all time) villain, terrorising village-folk of Ramgarh, in Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975) — was, of course, played by Amjad Khan (1940-92).
In the opening sequence, Gabbar goes, “Arrey oh, Sambha…” Which, apparently came from how Amjad’s dhobi would address his wife, “Arrey oh, Shanti…” Fun fact. “Not true,” says Javed.
“Amjad was a newcomer. He’s not going to change what’s in a [Salim-Javed] script. He never claimed that, either.” The name, Sambha, Javed remembers, came from a dacoit’s name in a Marathi film he’d seen.
The screenwriter of the film Javed Akhtar. Pic/RANE ASHISH
As for that dialogue itself, it emerges from the narcissism of a man, who would hardly list his accomplishments, including bounty on his head, placed by the state. Hence, he calls out to his minion, “Arrey oh, Sambha (Mac Mohan)! Kitna inaam rakkhe hai sarkar hum par?”
For his research, as per a trivia newsletter on my inbox, Amjad read the book on dacoits, Abhishapt Chambal, authored by journalist Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, father of Jaya Bhaduri (also in Sholay). Yes/no/maybe?
Javed says, “I’m not aware. The fact is, Amjad was brought onboard in the last minute, because [OG Gabbar] Danny Denzongpa had to bow out, because of date-issues.
“There were two prominent villains to pick from, back then: Pran, and Prem Nath. Both too busy to spare those many days at such short notice.”
Javed had first noticed Amjad at a youth festival in Vikram University, Ujjain, back when he was representing his college in elocution, group-discussion contests.
Amjad had performed a play for Bombay University, Javed recollects, “I think it was Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, directed by his brother, Imtiaz [who became an actor]. Amjad played a Sikh Army officer. He was brilliant!”
When the (last-minute) casting for Sholay’s villain was getting discussed, Javed says, “Salim Sahab reminded me of [actor] Jayant’s son [that is, Amjad] I’d mentioned over years.” Someone Javed had seen perform in 1953, screen-tested, in 1973.
Gabbar has since merged with popular Indian mythology. He’s naturally brought to life with recurring analogies to connote pure evil. For instance, Congress politician Rahul Gandhi calling GST (2017), introduced by the BJP government, as Gabbar Singh Tax!
Gabbar explains extortion as tax for protecting Ramgarh against himself that, he feels, is only fair. Sholay is, of course, essentially a film from the PoV of Thakur (Sanjiv Kumar) vs Gabbar, where Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) are at best conduits, even comic relief.
Gabbar finished off Thakur’s family, when the latter was a serving police officer. Thakur’s later an old man, seeking revenge. Only, Gabbar hasn’t aged a year since they first met. Gabbar, you notice, remains ageless; and not just metaphorically.
Even in pop-culture, with mainstream songs (‘Gabbar Singh yeh keh kar gaya’; 100 Days, 1991), films (Akshay Kumar’s Gabbar Is Back, 2015), still named after him.
In the 3 hours, 15 minutes of Sholay, Gabbar, with a chilled demeanour, laconic lines, is onscreen, for nine minutes. That’s it. How do you explain this?
Javed says, “We can’t. But since you asked — subconsciously, I feel we are attracted to people free of any guilt, fear, law, morality…
“Even in a zoo, a child looks wide-eyed, in awe, at a man-eating tiger.” In 1976, murderously evil Gabbar became brand-ambassador for Britannia’s Glucose-D biscuits, aimed at kids.
Upon reading the dialogue-script, both Sanjiv and Amitabh wished to play Gabbar. This is true, Javed instantly verifies. Amitabh did eventually fulfil his wish, as Babban, for Gabbar, in Sholay’s remake, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007). “No, I haven’t watched that film,” Javed is equally quick to retort!
In the original Sholay, Gabbar is killed off by Thakur. Censor Board altered that end with him getting arrested, instead. Given Gabbar was still alive, surely the thought of a sequel centred on him must’ve occurred to the Sippys, or Salim-Javed?
Javed recalls, “No. The only time I’ve thought of a sequel was for Mr India.” Which had the super-villain, Mogambo (Amrish Puri), of course.
In any case, Sippy’s Shaan (1980), equally a multi-starrer action-adventure, in an urban set-up, scripted by Salim-Javed, was a ‘sequel in spirit’ to Sholay. That had Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), inspired by Bond-villain, Blofeld.
Javed feels, “Shaan got unfairly compared. It’d be impossible to live up to Sholay. Now, people find Shaan interesting, once they watch it on TV.” How’s Gabbar different from Mogambo, and Shakaal? “Gabbar is more real,” he argues.
What’s common between them? Javed says, “They are villains, with dignity. They don’t lust after women. They aren’t lechers.”
Mayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture.
He tweets @mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
