Sholay Review

Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Hema Malini are absolutely fantastic in this. This is my first 70's era Bollywood film, and I am beginning to understand the aura and cool associated with Amitabh Bachchan.

I watched this with my brother-in-law who was visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. He was laughing and commenting along to his first Bollywood film. "Are they ALL like this?" "Oh, no, crazy eyes!" "The shoes, the shoes!" "Seventies slow-mo, and every cliche is now complete." "It's really a Western -- there's even cacti!"

So, I didn't watch this alone, and my impressions are tainted by his constant commentary. I can understand why this film is iconic and a classic, but since I didn't grow up with it, the dialogues don't have the same effect on me. I had to see it, as so many people reference it, and it's quoted about as much as Scarface and The Godfather are in America.

The music is great, and some scenes are truly unforgettable -- especially Hema dancing on the broken glass while Dhamendra is bound. But I really don't get the whole Hitler warden prison sequence, and the movie could have done without it. The movie is long enough, and Hema/Dharmendra provided enough comic relief.

Truly a bromance for the ages!