Hema Malini Apologises After Being Trolled Over Bihu Festival Tweet

Vinay MR Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; August 13, 2025)

As Sholay celebrates 50 glorious years, Hema Malini, who played the iconic Basanti, looks back at the film that not only became a landmark in Indian cinema, but also changed her life forever. “We never thought that Sholay would become an iconic film. We never expected it at all. We thought it’s going to run for 25 weeks or 75 weeks. Those days, a film’s success was based on how many weeks it ran. But Sholay went beyond all that,” says Hema Malini, in a conversation with us.

Calling the film directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by the legendary duo Salim-Javed, a rare piece of cinema, Hema Malini adds, “So many films are made in a year. But nothing is like Sholay. It was a film made with full conviction. It had such beautiful dialogues and performances by every artiste. Even an actor with one dialogue made an impact – that speaks volumes about the screenplay. It touched the entire nation’s heart.”

Sholay, often regarded as one of the most influential Indian films of all time starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar in pivotal roles. Five decades later, her association with Sholay remains fresh across the globe. “Even today, when I travel to places like Georgia or Russia, people remember me as Basanti. A time came when my name almost became Basanti. People recognised me as Basanti,” she laughs.

On working with Dharmendra, she says, “We were already doing many films together. I must say, Dharamji’s role was definitely designed by the writers and director, but he added so much to it. He would say, ‘I’ll do this, I’ll do it like that.’ He made Veeru his own.”

Recalling memorable moments from the shoot, she recalls, “The railway station sequence was difficult to shoot. Basanti is taking Jai and Veeru from the station to the village, and she keeps talking. That was a sweet and interesting scene.”

‘When I was offered this role, I thought it was very small’
Talking about what drew her to the part, she says, “I did not think Basanti would become so iconic, however, I did think it was very different as the character provides comic relief, but also had a strong sense of loyalty and love, especially in her relationship with Veeru. I was doing Seeta Aur Geeta then, which was a big hit. When I was offered this role in Sholay, I thought it was very small. But I agreed to do it because of the association with the director and producer.”
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With ‘Sholay’ set to clock 50 years of release, Hema Malini reflects on the cult film’s making; disapproves of the original, unreleased climax that is being screened at festivals
Oshin Fernandes (MID-DAY; August 13, 2025)

We agree with Hema Malini when she says that if one hasn’t watched Sholay (1975), they have “missed out on something in life”. But then, it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone in the country not having devoured director Ramesh Sippy’s action drama. Almost everyone knows of Jai-Veeru’s friendship, immortalised on screen by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. The late Sanjeev Kumar’s dialogue ‘Loha garam hai, maar do hathoda’ and Amjad Khan’s line ‘Kitne aadmi the?’ have become a staple in pop culture. The film, which completes 50 years of release on August 15, has over the decades reaffirmed its position as the most iconic Hindi film.

Hema Malini disapproves of changed ending
To mark the 50-year milestone, the classic’s restored version was screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Italy in June with the original climax, which shows Kumar’s Thakur killing Gabbar Singh with his spiked shoes. Before Sholay’s 1975 release, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had found the ending too violent, and as a result, it was changed to depict Gabbar being taken away by the cops. The unreleased version will also be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 6.      
 
Holding the released version dear to her heart, Malini shares, “I heard the last scene was changed, which I don’t agree with. It should remain untouched. They have no business changing it.”

Hema Malini thought Basanti was a 'small role'
Her attachment to the classic is understandable. But had Malini, who played the effervescent Basanti, imagined that the film would achieve cult status? “We thought it was a very nice film, shot differently like the Hollywood ones,” says the senior actor. In fact, she was initially hesitant to come on board when Sippy approached her for the role.

Malini recalls, “He told me, ‘You do this role. It is very impactful.’ I agreed immediately, but in my mind, I [thought], ‘This is a small role, no problem’. I felt like I’m doing a favour when in fact, they had done me a favour.”
 
The senior actor vividly remembers her first day of shoot – she had to film the temple sequence where Dharmendra’s character tricks her, and was handed a three-page dialogue. She credits Javed Akhtar, who penned the film with Salim Khan, for easing things for her. “I was a little worried because the dialogues were interlinked. Then Javed saab told me, ‘This is how you have to speak’. From that day, I never looked back.”
 
With Basanti easily one of her career-defining roles, she is open to the idea of the character getting a spin-off. Does she have any actor in mind who could step into her shoes? “There are many artistes ready to do it, and they should do it. I can’t specifically mention somebody’s name. It’s not difficult to do Basanti’s role. The personality has to suit [them] and the look has to come [together].”