Sholay @40: Who can play modern day Jai-Veeru?

If Sholay, that celebrates 40th anniversary today, were to made again, who can make for the best Gabbar, Veeru, Jai and Basanti from the new crop of actors?

Even 40 years after its release in August 1975, Sholay continues inspiring filmmakers and cinemagoers alike. The iconic movie is for all seasons and all generations. On its 40th anniversary, we find out who’d be apt to play which character if Sholay were made today.



GABBAR

HT Image

Old: Amjad Khan. Devious, ruthless, vengeful.

New: Ajay Devgn. God, so intense. Also, we need a hot Gabbar because that’s one character that can be adapted into many fantasies. (Text by Shreya Sethuraman From HT Brunch, January 5) BASANTI

Old: Hema Malini. Chaaloo, chatterbox.

New: Parineeti Chopra. She’s garrulous, has that impish grin and all the makings of a taange-wali (no reference to her legs, just saying!)JAI

Old: Amitabh Bachchan. Intense, loyal, practical.

New: Arjun Kapoor. So inscrutable (and also so hot), he lets his eyes do all the talking, just like Jai.



VEERU

Old: Dharmendra. Impractical, goofy, adorable.

New: Ranbir Kapoor. We don’t want to see the goofily adorable Barfi!, but Ranbir seems to have an endearing quality that personifies Veeru.RADHA

Old: Jaya Bachchan. Silent, full of silent longing.

New: Sonakshi Sinha. If you notice, she doesn’t do much talking in her movies and can still express her emotions. That’s what Radha is all about, right?



MAUSI

Old: Leela Mishra. She who dotes on Basanti and says the funniest things ever.

New: Farida Jalal, just the way she was in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with Mr Almeida.



SAMBHA

Old: Mac Mohan. Gabbar’s man Friday.

New: Arshad Warsi. Agreed, "poore pachaas hajaar" was probably his best dialogue in the film, but his fierce loyalty to Gabbar makes us think of Warsi’s Circuit to Munna Bhai.



RAMLAL



Old: Satyen Kappu. Thakur’s man Friday.

New: Alok Nath. He has that trustworthy and dependable quality about him that’ll make you want to put your life in his hands.



JAILOR

Old: Asrani, a life-sized caricature of idiocy.

New: Anupam Kher. He can do life-sized caricature of idiocy too, and if you had to imagine someone playing the ‘angrezon ke zamaane ka jailor’, you know Kher is the man.



THAKUR

Old: Sanjeev Kumar. Mature, measured, layered, suave *sigh*.

New: Jackie Shroff, trying to build a character actor portfolio, Shroff will be perfect as the armless former police officer whose simmering rage and vengeance forms the premise of the story.



Read: Lesser known facts of Sholay