New Delhi: Almost every fan of Bollywood movies has probably seen Sholay at some point of time but Pakistanis will finally have a chance to see it on the big screen when it hits theatres on March 20, nearly four decades after its release.
Nadeem Mandviwalla, the owner of Karachi-based Mandiwalla Entertainment, said it had always been a personal dream of his to put the iconic 1975 film on the big screen in Pakistan.
“Yeh mera eik shauq tha and I kep pushing for it. I’ve seen it myself 15-20 times and this is a movie that really resonated with people of my generation. When Sholay was released in 3D last year, we tried to make a deal for it but it didn’t go through,” Mandviwalla told Hindustan Times on phone.
“Now the date has been finalised and we have locked it for release on March 20.”
Indian films are a big hit with the Bollywood-crazy people of Pakistan and most movie buffs across the border have watched cable broadcasts or pirated DVDs of Sholay.
But Mandviwalla, one of Pakistan’s leading film distributors, remains hopeful that the film directed by Ramesh Sippy and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, will attract a new generation of fans who will be eager to watch it on the big screen.
“In the case of old movies, we have learnt that there isn’t much excitement because they are out on DVD or on television. But Sholay was made for the big screen. It is so iconic because it is not meant to be seen on television. Pakistan has not seen it on the big screen and we’re hoping to take advantage of this fact,” he said.
