It was my very first day on the Sholay set. I was thrilled. I knew it was a massive film. My first scene was supposed to be the one where my character Ahmed’s dead body is brought into the village on horseback. It’s a dramatic, emotional moment.

There were two shots. One wide shot from a distance as the horse enters, and a closer shot of my body on the horse’s back. I was 16 years old and couldn’t wait to begin. But to my surprise, both those shots were done using a body double. I was a little taken aback, even disappointed since I was so eager to do my first shot.

I remember asking Ramesh-ji (Sippy) about it, and he said something I have never forgotten: “Sachin, you are an actor. You have been acting for years. These shots are for a double. You are not supposed to do them.”

That’s when I suddenly felt important. Validated. Of course, the later shot where my body is picked up by Dharam-ji (Dharmendra) and Amit-ji (Amitabh Bachchan) had to be me. During that scene, Amit-ji whispered something to me that I always remember. He said, “Sachin, zara body loose rakhna… It will be easier for us to pick you up and put you down.”

It was a small but thoughtful advice. I understood that if I kept my body stiff, it would be harder for them. It was one of those little moments that taught me that even as a ‘dead body’, you need to act right.

Now, here’s the fun part. That scene involved big actors but none of us — Dharam-ji, Amit-ji, Hema-ji, or me — had any dialogue in it. And I obviously couldn’t speak because I was supposed to be dead! So all we could do was observe.

I was the youngest on set and very sincere. So every time my shot came, I would hold my breath. Nobody asked me to. I just did it on my own. And when Ramesh-ji would call “Cut!”, I would let out a huge breath — like a burst — and the whole set would erupt in laughter. Every single time.

The first one to laugh would always be Sanjeev Kumar. And then the rest of the cast and crew would join in. It became a bit of a ritual, everyone waiting for my dramatic exhale and the laughter growing after every shot!

Looking back, that was my first experience of Sholay… lying breathless, surrounded by legends, and still managing to make them laugh.

Not many people know this, but I refused to accept payment for my role in Sholay. My relationship with Ramesh-ji has always been that of a student and guru. Even now, on Guru Purnima, I message him to seek his blessings. That bond means more than money ever could.

So, instead of a fee, Ramesh-ji gifted me something special… my first-ever air conditioner. It was from a company called Fedders-Lloyd. Sleeping in AC was a luxury back then and from 1975 till today, I haven’t been able to sleep without an AC, a habit I owe to Sholay!