Sippy: Sholay's ₹3 Cr Cost Terrified Industry, Declared Flop

• Sholay, celebrating 50 years, has been re-released with its original ending where Gabbar Singh dies.
• Director Ramesh Sippy recalls the industry's fear over the film's unprecedented ₹3 crore budget, equivalent to ₹100 crore today.
• Initially, Sholay faced a cold opening, poor sales, and was declared a failure by critics and the industry.
• During the Emergency, the censor board forced Sippy to change the climax from Gabbar's death to his arrest.
• The re-release finally restores the director's intended ending, undoing the forced censorship.

Why It Matters: It shows the immense risk and initial doubt behind a cinematic masterpiece.