Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Ramanagaram: The Sholay magic is set to be recreated in the rocky terrains of Ramanagaram with plans afoot to bring alive the trailblazing characters, 42 years after they were immortalised in the iconic Bollywood film.
A Rs70.5m proposal has been mooted to establish "Sholay-the-3D Virtual Reality Village' for cine lovers on a locale at Ramadevara Betta that was popularly known as Ramgad where the blockbuster film was shot by Ramesh Sippy in a dacoit-gangland setting.
The place, about 50km south-west of Bengaluru, is a paradise for trekking, rock climbing and photo shooting. The main purpose of establishing the virtual village is to enthral visitors using goggles, virtual reality headsets, laser disc-based systems, VR-3D, audio and visual equipment and multiple screens, an official said.
Seven hills are located within a 10km radius of Ramanagaram, including Ramadevar betta, where Gabbar Singh, played by the late Amjad Khan in the antagonist role in the 1975 film, was picturised. Gabbar Singh's dacoit role gave Khan cult status, along with the memorable role of his henchmen Samba and Kaalia. The Ramanagaram district administration has submitted the plan to the state government to either implement it as a Public-Private venture or as a state project. The project, however, will not be established in the vulture reserve area, but outside it.
The virtual village will bring the film's characters to life through three-dimensional (3D) printing and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, a top district official said. The virtual actors will come to life and deliver world famous punchlines in the film, and the visitors can deliver the following dialogues, the official said.
"When Gabbar Singh says Kitne aadmi they..... the visitors can immediately deliver the dialogue that follows do sarkar .. woh do they aur tum teen, the official said, reminiscing a scene when Gabbar Singh attacks the village for the first time in the film. The plan is for either the district administration entering into a partnership with Sippy Productions and other private agencies under a PPP model or for the government taking up the project on its own, the official said.
Shivalingaiah, who played a small role in Sholay, is ecstatic about the proposal to establish 'Sholay-the-3D Virtual Reality Village' on a locale at Ramadevara Betta. "The proposal is God's work just as making Sholay was - the blockbuster film placed my village on the world map," the octogenarian said standing right in front of the rocky terrains. Shivalingaiah also reminisces about the helping nature of its cast, especially Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan.
"What should I tell of the cast. Everybody helped us out, from Jaya Bhaduri to Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan to Dharmendra and Amjad Khan, and of course Ramesh Sippy and late Sanjeev Kumar - it was a fabulous interaction with these stars for almost three years," he said.
Shivalingaiah recalls how Dharmendra resisted a move to hire Bangalore-
based side actors to play brief parts in the film and insisted on locals doing the role. "Dharmendra, especially, was a star with a big heart. He resisted a move to hire Bangalore-based side actors by insisting that all minor roles be played by the villagers. This fetched me and others Rs200 per day for the next three years," he says in an emotional tone.
Shivalingaiah said the project would benefit the villagers immensely as there would be a lot of visitors to the locale and lot of job opportunities would be created for them. Asked to share his unforgettable scenes of the film, Sivalinagaiah said all scenes were shot meticulously and with great precision, most of them taking more than 10 days.
Recalling the shooting of the scene where Jaya Bhaduri had to light a lamp in the corridor and Amitabh Bachchan sits in the outhouse playing the mouth organ, he said "Sippy Sahebaru spent almost three years before finalising the shot."
On the classic train sequence, Shivaliagaiah said, "Who can forget that scene where the dacoits mounted on galloping horses are chasing the train in which Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, and Sanjeev Kumar are travelling. The stars are battling the dacoits' attack amidst gunfire. It took seven weeks to shoot that scene. I was all along in the train as a crew," he said.
Shivaliangaiah said the Yeh Dosti song took Sippy 21 days to complete and another 19 days to shoot a scene where Gabbar Singh kills the son of Imam. The character of Imam was played by late H. K. Hangal.
Asked if he had any message for the star cast over four decades down the line, Shivalingaiah, in an emotional voice, said he wishes to see them visit the place regularly, which they haven't done after the shooting was completed.
"My only wish is that this proposal brings back living star cast to the place, which they haven't done - None of the stars visited the place after completion of Sholay shooting." Karnataka Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge said the state government has to evaluate the entire proposal.
Kharge also said Sholay locales have the potential to attract visitors heading towards Mysuru and is also the first exit point for IT people living in Bengaluru. The minister, however, said some locales that fall into the vulture reserve zone like Gabbar's hideout, Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar)'s haveli and the rocky terrain where Basanti (Hema Malini) dances, among others, will have to be recreated outside the prohibited area, if the project is implemented. Most huts/small dwelling units built for the movie shoot are now being used by the villagers.
