Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
One and only Sholay
V. GANGADHAR
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G. P. Sippy, the man behind the classic, was an inspiration to several filmmakers
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Why on earth did Gopaldas Parmanand Sippy invest a whopping Rs. 5 crore (in the 1970s) in just one film, Sholay? When I asked him this question at an Ahmedabad film function years ago, he smiled and replied: “I am a racing man. I felt the time was ripe to make a film which would eclipse every other Hindi film. I also had the right type of script.”
Till then, Sippy saab (who died in Mumbai at age 93) was an average producer-director with a mix of hits and misses. His Brahmachari, Andaaz and Seeta aur Geeta clicked in a big way, though there were a few Sippy mediocrities. Unlike Hollywood movie mogul Cecil De Mille who concentrated on epics, Sippy saab was more like Samuel Goldwyn and Darryl F. Zanuck, who believed in variety. It is not clear why Sippy saab gave up his successful carpet sales and construction business for filmmaking. Perhaps, he was attracted by the glitter and glamour of the industry. Sippy Films got going from 1955 with G.P. concentrating on both production and direction. He could not afford top stars and had to be content with Grade B stars, some of whom were fairly popular. But the films offered variety — crime thriller Marine Drive (Ajit and Bina Rai), costume drama Adel-e’Jehangir (Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari), comedy Shrimati 420 (Johnny Walker) and Mr. India (Johnny Walker, Om Prakash), and family melodrama (Bhai Bahen). The banner began to blossom when Sippy saab cast aside directorial responsibilities and focussed on production. From 1965, his films featured higher-ranked stars such as Asha Parekh and Biswajeet in Mere Sanam. The 1968 Shammi Kapoor-Rajashree starrer, Brahmachari was a box-office hit and it bagged several Filmfare awards.
The financial success of Brahmachari and Bandhan (Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz) and the return of son Ramesh from studies abroad bolstered Sippy Films’ morale. The father-son combination clicked, and the Ramesh Sippy-directed Andaz dealing with the unusual theme of romance between a widow and a widower was an instant hit. Though Shammi Kapoor and Hema Malini were stars, a song sequence (“Zindagi ek Safar”) with Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance was the highlight.
HIGH REPUTE G.P. Sippy was large hearted, innovative and stressed the value of entertainment
Though Indian cinema had witnessed male heroes in double roles, the Sippys featured Hema Malini in a dual role in Seeta aur Geeta. The film, starring Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmendra, was a runaway hit and now everything was ready for the mega blockbuster, Sholay. Nearly two years in the making, a sensational villain who became a cult figure (Amjad Khan as Gabbar), perfect production values, taut direction, impressive star cast – that’s Sholay in a nut shell. Ultimately it became a cult film, grossed more than Rs. 50 crore, ran for five years without interruption at Bombay’s Minerva Cinema.
Sippy saab ordered an unlimited budget, an entire village was created near Bangalore, the creative process was not interfered with and a classic emerged. The industry honoured Sippy saab. He headed the Film Producers Guild four times, became an inspiration to dozens of movie makers and figured in the media as the all-time movie greats.
Says long time friend, Shammi Kapoor, “Sippy saab was large hearted, innovative and stressed the value of entertainment. He was a close friend even before his film days, and we shall miss him.”
Can anything be better than Sholay? Sippy saab realised nothing could beat Sholay and that he had to live in its shadow. Another huge multi-starrer with special effects, Shaan, fared badly. Saagar had great moments of romance, rekindling the fire between Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor, while Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman boosted Shah Rukh’s career. But films such as Brashtachar and Pathar ke Phool did not enhance the reputation of the banner and Hamesha (1997) was the last from the banner.
Was Sippy saab happy about Ram Gopal Varma’s adaptation of Sholay, the ill-fated Aag? He did not say much and his silence was adequate. There can never by another Sholay!
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
