Sholay: large and mighty

Finally saw Sholay on the big screen. Have seldom been so thoroughly entertained at a film screening, despite anticipating almost every bit of dialogue. Should we be sad that no other Indian film comes close to this in terms of critical & commercial success?

The trivia-mongering mind was rewarded even at this nth viewing. 3 notes:

* Confirmed Mushtaq Mohammad as being the only actor to appear twice in the film (as the train driver & as the Parsi at the beginning of "Yeh Dosti" (the sequence prior to that obviously being cut)).

* Had never noted the reference to "The Great Dictator" which appears when Asrani stands quiveringly with the globe and spills it at the news of the tunnel & the pistol. Easily reminiscent of Adenoid Hynkel in the Chaplin film.

* Astonished to note that contrary to popular notion, Samba (MacMohan) has another line apart from "puure pachaas hazaar"! This occurs when 4 of the dacoits, Samba included, are playing cards when Ahmed (Sachin) is riding to leave for Jabalpur and appears below them. Samba tells the next player to play.

The Editing was really great, and as usual the dialogues sparkled. Even in this age when we are used to the Bollywood versions of UP, Bihari & Bambaiyya ones, the dialects in Sholay continue to be unfamiliar and hence fresh. Salim/Javed display a range from chaste Urdu to Hindustani to Bhopali (assuming that is what he speaks) to the one used by the dacoits.