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By:

Rajeev Puri

24 October 2024 at 5:11:37 am

Before Sholay, there was Mera Gaon Mera Desh

When the comedian and television host Kapil Sharma recently welcomed the veteran screenwriter Salim Khan onto his show, he made a striking claim. India, he joked, has a national bird and a national animal; it ought also to have a national film. That film, he suggested, would surely be Sholay. Few would quarrel with the sentiment. Released in 1975 and directed by Ramesh Sippy,  Sholay  has long been treated as the Everest of Hindi popular cinema -quoted endlessly, revisited by generations and...

Before Sholay, there was Mera Gaon Mera Desh

When the comedian and television host Kapil Sharma recently welcomed the veteran screenwriter Salim Khan onto his show, he made a striking claim. India, he joked, has a national bird and a national animal; it ought also to have a national film. That film, he suggested, would surely be Sholay. Few would quarrel with the sentiment. Released in 1975 and directed by Ramesh Sippy,  Sholay  has long been treated as the Everest of Hindi popular cinema -quoted endlessly, revisited by generations and dissected by critics. In 2025, the film marked its 50th anniversary, and the release of a digitally restored, uncut version introduced the classic to a new generation of viewers who discovered that its mixture of revenge drama, western pastiche and buddy comedy remains curiously durable. The film’s influences have been debated almost as much as its dialogues – from scenes taken by the Spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone, particularly ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968) or to the narrative architecture of ‘Seven Samurai’ (1954) by Akira Kurosawa. Others note echoes of earlier Hindi films about bandits and frontier justice, such as ‘Khotey Sikke’ (1973) starring Feroz Khan. Yet, rewatching ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh,’ directed by Raj Khosla, one cannot help noticing how many of the narrative bones of  Sholay  appear to have been assembled there first. Released in 1971,  Mera Gaon Mera Desh  was a major hit at the box office, notable for holding its own in a year dominated by the near-hysterical popularity of Rajesh Khanna. The thematic framework of the two films is strikingly similar. In  Sholay , the retired policeman Thakur Baldev Singh recruits two petty criminals - Jai and Veeru - to help him avenge the terror inflicted upon his village by the bandit Gabbar Singh. In  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , the set-up is not very different. A retired soldier, Jaswant Singh, seeks to protect his village from a ruthless dacoit and enlists the help of a small-time crook named Ajit. Even the villain’s name seems to echo across the two films. In Khosla’s drama, the marauding bandit played by Vinod Khanna is scene-stealing performance is called Jabbar Singh. In  Sholay , the outlaw who would become one of Indian cinema’s most memorable antagonists was Gabbar Singh. There is an additional irony in the casting. In  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , the retired soldier Jaswant Singh is played by Jayant - the real-life father of Amjad Khan, who would later immortalise Gabbar Singh in  Sholay . The connective tissue between the two films becomes even clearer in the presence of Dharmendra. In Khosla’s film he plays Ajit, a charming rogue who gradually redeems himself while defending the village. Four years later, Dharmendra returned in  Sholay  as Veeru, a similarly exuberant petty criminal whose courage and irrepressible humour make him one half of Hindi cinema’s most beloved buddy duo alongside Amitabh Bachchan as Jai. Certain visual motifs also appear to have travelled intact. In Khosla’s film, Ajit finds himself bound in ropes in the bandit’s den during a dramatic musical sequence. A similar image appears in  Sholay , where Veeru is tied up before Gabbar Singh while Basanti performs the now famous song ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan.’ Other echoes are subtler but just as suggestive. Ajit’s pursuit of the village belle Anju, played by Asha Parekh, anticipates Veeru’s boisterous attempts to woo Basanti, portrayed by Hema Malini. Scenes in which Ajit teaches Anju to shoot recall the flirtatious gun-training sequence between Veeru and Basanti that became one of  Sholay ’s most cherished moments. Even the famous coin motif has a precedent. Ajit frequently tosses a coin to make decisions - a flourish that would later appear in  Sholay , where Jai’s coin toss becomes a running gag. Perhaps most intriguingly, the endings of the two films converge in their original form. In  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , the villain is ultimately killed by the hero. The uncut version of  Sholay  reportedly ended in a similar fashion, with Gabbar Singh meeting his death at the hands of Thakur Baldev Singh. However, censors altered the climax before the film’s 1975 release, requiring that Gabbar be handed over to the police instead. All this does not diminish  Sholay . Rather, it highlights the alchemy through which cinema evolves. The scriptwriting duo Salim–Javed took familiar ingredients and expanded them into a grander narrative populated by unforgettable characters and stylised action. On the 55 th  anniversary of  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , Raj Khosla’s rugged western deserves a renewed glance as the sturdy foundation on which a legend called  Sholay  was built. (The author is a political commentator and a global affairs observer. Views personal.)

Mahayuti Avenges Lok Sabha’s ‘Panipat’

Updated: Nov 25, 2024

BJP shines in its best-ever run in State; allies Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP come into their own, as Mahayuti onslaught leaves MVA in tatters

Eknath Shinde

Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti resoundingly avenged its Lok Sabha debacle, staging a stunning comeback in Maharashtra’s Assembly polls by sweeping 230 of the 288 seats. This emphatic performance was powered by the BJP, which recorded its highest-ever seat tally in the state, reshaping the political landscape and leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in tatters.


Belying opinion poll predictions of a tight contest, the Mahayuti, and the BJP in particular, staged a momentous comeback like no other in the annals of Maharashtra’s political history paving the way for Devendra Fadnavis to be a natural claimant to the Chief Minister’s post.


The BJP led by Fadnavis, which garnered more than 135 of the 149 seats it contested on, surpassed its 2014 Assembly poll tally of 122 seats achieved during the peak of the Modi wave. The saffron party’s rank and file, buoyed by a historic victory, are in no mood for compromise, unlike 2022 when Eknath Shinde was anointed Chief Minister after his coup despite the BJP’s commanding the greater number of MLAs.


That said, CM Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Deputy Pawar Ajit Pawar’s NCP performed creditably, vastly enhancing their dismal Lok Sabha strike rates by snaring 56 and 41 seats respectively – evidence of a superbly coordinated ground campaign by the Mahayuti.


Shinde Sena’s crackerjack performance, which outdid the combined performance of the three MVA parties, settles the question of which faction is the ‘real’ Shiv Sena – a debate that has simmered since his dramatic split from Uddhav Thackeray’s party in 2022. By orchestrating this win, Shinde has finally shed the perception of him being a ‘BJP puppet,’ asserting himself as a credible force in Maharashtra politics.


Ajit Pawar’s performance was equally noteworthy. His eight consecutive Assembly win in the keenly contested Baramati Assembly segment was particularly personal as he routed his nephew Yugendra Pawar (aligned with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) by a whopping margin, delivering a stinging blow to the elder Pawar’s political legacy.


While the Mahayuti conducted a coordinated and focused campaign, refraining from ad hominem attacks and emphasizing development, the MVA floundered due to complacency, infighting, and poor candidate selection. Prolonged seat-sharing negotiations within the opposition alliance led to delayed campaigning, leaving many constituencies poorly covered. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) were also plagued by ego clashes and an inability to project a cohesive vision, which alienated voters seeking clarity and competence.


The MVA’s misplaced focus on national issues, such as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s repeated targeting of industrialist Gautam Adani, further undermined their appeal. These issues failed to resonate with voters in Maharashtra, who prioritized local governance and development.


The electoral rout saw several MVA stalwarts like former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan (Karad South) and senior Congressman Balasaheb Thorat (Sangamner) suffer humiliating defeats. These setbacks have raised questions about the MVA’s future and the ability of its top leaders to rejuvenate the alliance.


Conversely, the Mahayuti showcased its depth and cohesion. While top leaders like Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar won by huge margins, second-rung leaders such as Nitesh and Nilesh Rane also performed impressively. Even debutantes like Srivijaya Chavan (Bhokar) and younger leaders like Aditi Tatkare (Shrivardhan) won emphatically, underscoring the Mahayuti’s ability to bury their internal differences and mobilize voters across diverse demographics.


The Mahayuti tsunami swept away that the so-called ‘third front’ in the form of the ‘Parivartan Mahashakti Aghadi’, with its prime force - Prahar Janshakti Party leader and sitting MLA Bacchu Kadu - biting the electoral dust in Achalpur in Amravati district.


The electorate also delivered a harsh verdict on flip-floppers and emotive campaigns. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) failed disastrously, with his son Amit Thackeray crashing in his debut from Mahim. Likewise, agitators like Manoj Jarange-Patil, who relied on caste-based appeals, were decisively rejected as voters aligned with the Mahayuti’s promise of development.


Most notably, the election results mark a remarkable comeback for Devendra Fadnavis, demonstrating his resilience and acumen in the State’s politics and a figure to be reckoned on par with Sharad Pawar at his canniest.

Written off after the BJP’s Lok Sabha loss, Fadnavis has emerged stronger than ever, demonstrating his ability to adapt and lead in challenging circumstances.


The results place the BJP in an enviable position, as it can retain power should one of its two key allies—Shinde’s Sena or Ajit Pawar’s NCP—decide to exit the Mahayuti over potential disagreements on the Chief Minister’s post. However, given the emphatic nature of this mandate, it is unlikely that either ally would risk breaking away at this stage.


While the question of who will be Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister now looms large, BJP leader Amit Shah has sought to pre-empt internal discord by emphasizing unity within the alliance. With the largest seat tally within the Mahayuti, it is advantage BJP for the top post.

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