EXCLUSIVE: Ramesh Sippy hails father G P Sippy’s faith when Sholay’s budget TRIPLED from Rs. 1 cr to Rs. 3 cr: “His confidence was a reward”; SLAMS myths about slow start: “From third week, people were repeating lines…critics had to eat their words”

By Fenil Seta -

October 16, 2025 - 3:50 PM IST

It was a common misconception that Sholay (1975) had a poor opening in cinemas on its release. It was said that the makers even contemplated reshooting the film to ‘salvage’ it at the ticket window. 10 years ago, during a 40th anniversary special program held in NCPA Experimental Theatre in Mumbai, this writer heard Ramesh Sippy slamming these rumours. It was an eye-opener. Recently, when the film completed 50 years, many reports also confirmed that Sholay was a blockbuster from day 1. In an exclusive interaction with Bollywood Hungama, Ramesh Sippy opened up on these aspects.

EXCLUSIVE: Ramesh Sippy hails father G P Sippy’s faith when Sholay’s budget TRIPLED from Rs. 1 cr to Rs. 3 cr: “His confidence was a reward”; SLAMS myths about slow start: “From third week, people were repeating lines…critics had to eat their words”

A look at the collections of the film proves that certain shows had more than 100% occupancy. Did theatres put up temporary chairs and that’s why these shows ran over capacity? Ramesh Sippy said, “There used to be people standing and watching the film. Maybe the theatre provided a chair to some of them too. But theatres were not allowed to do so even then. However, since people had heard so much about the film, a few of them were allowed inside. But they were permitted only for 5-10 minutes, provided they knew the theatre owner or manager.”

Yet, it was said that Sholay started on a slow note. One version was that the journalists were not happy with the film and hence, were trying to put it down. Ramesh Sippy explained, “The industry and trade people had some problem because initially, the plan was to make the film for Rs. 1 crore. But it ended up having a budget of Rs. 3 crores. Hence, they wondered how we would recover such a huge amount? Until then, no film had been made for that kind of money. Due to the print and publicity costs, the budget probably shot up to Rs. 4-5 crores. Hence, they argued that recovery would be impossible.”

He added, “But the film’s business proved otherwise. They had to eat their words. They admitted after 5 weeks (that they were proved wrong), which was gracious of them, I guess. They had no choice, though (smiles).”

He also hit back at rumours that the film wasn’t working well for the first 2 weeks. He revealed, “From the third week, people were repeating lines. This means the audience was coming back. In other words, the film was getting a repeat audience.”

Sholay was produced by Ramesh Sippy’s father, G P Sippy. What did he say when the budget increased from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 3 crores? The blockbuster filmmaker explained, “He never said a word! He was confident about the subject; he must have realized that if he started interfering and dictating, it would have hampered my style and my freedom to make the film. Hence, he didn’t say a single word throughout the making. His confidence was a reward.”

Was Ramesh Sippy scared when the film went over budget? He replied, “I also didn’t think about it. I didn’t waste a single paisa. I spent money because I wanted that perfection. The way I wanted it done wasn’t easy. I guess the final result was pretty good and everyone went home happy (smiles).”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Ramesh Sippy’s hilarious take on Sholay’s forced ending change during Emergency: “Censors said ‘Thakur shouldn’t take law into his hands’ but he had no hands!”; BREAKS silence on Hema Malini’s DISAPPROVAL of Sholay’s changed climax