Shatrughan Sinha reveals why he turned down Sholay: ‘We can call it a human error or…’

Shatrughan Sinha said that he was offered Ramesh Sippy’s iconic film Sholay but was forced to let go of it due to unavailability of dates. He made the revelation on Indian Idol 12, on which he will be seen as a special guest along with his wife, Poonam Sinha.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay revolves around how Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) enlists the help of two small-time crooks Jai and Veeru, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra respectively, to bring down dreaded dacoit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan also played pivotal roles.

According to a leading daily, Indian Idol 12 judge Himesh Reshammiya asked Shatrughan Sinha why he turned down Sholay. “During those times, I was continuously shooting for films which had two heroes and, somehow, we can call it a human error or my dates were an issue due to which I couldn’t sign the film Sholay. I’m sad but happy at the same time as due to Sholay, national icon Amitabh Bachchan, who is my dear friend, got such a big break,” the actor said.

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“Certain rejections of films occur due to date issues. Even Amitabh Bachchan wanted to do Kalicharan but he couldn’t do it for a reason. It’s generic in nature, even Rajesh Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sunny Deol must have rejected films for several reasons,” he added.

Sholay was the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time of its release. It is considered to be among the best Indian films of all time.

Shatrughan is known for playing the villain in films such as Pyar Hi Pyar, Raampur Ka Lakshman, Bhai Ho Toh Aisa, Heera and Blackmail. He was last seen on the big screen in Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se. In recent years, he has shifted his focus to politics and is a member of the Indian National Congress.