Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 14: As Sholay approaches its 50th anniversary, veteran actress Hema Malini has opened up about her experience working on the iconic film, revealing that there were no rehearsals for her memorable song “Jab Tak Hai Jaan.”

Speaking to IANS, Hema shared that the sequence was more of a performance than a traditional dance number. “No rehearsal at all. It’s more of an act—scene and dance together. Whatever was needed, we did on the spot, depending on the situation and what the director had planned,” she said. Despite the lack of preparation, the sequence took about 15 days to shoot.

Reflecting on how she came on board for Sholay, Hema said that bound scripts were not a practice back then. “Directors would narrate the story, and if I liked it, I would agree. If not, I’d say no.” When Sholay was offered to her by director Ramesh Sippy after the success of Seeta Aur Geeta, she admitted she was initially disappointed by what seemed like a smaller role.

“I wondered, ‘Why only a small role for me?’” she recalled. But Sippy assured her the character would leave a lasting impact. Trusting his vision, she agreed.

On the first day of shooting, Sippy told her the character would be different from anything she had done before—though slightly reminiscent of her role as Geeta in Seeta Aur Geeta. “The dialogue delivery had to be quick, long, and without breaks. That became the beauty of the character—witty and spontaneous. I was the only one bringing comic relief in an otherwise intense film.”

Sholay, which released in 1975 and went on to become a landmark in Indian cinema, will mark 50 years this Friday.