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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.)

Tale of strength, victory

The nine days of Navratri celebrate goddesses who embody strength in different forms; valour, compassion, creativity, austerity, devotion, justice, protection, forgiveness and wisdom. In our annual Navratri series, we celebrate the lives of nine women who strive to build happy and safe spaces for themselves and those around them.


PART - 13


Name: Bhagyashree Shinde | Where: Mumbai
Name: Bhagyashree Shinde | Where: Mumbai

Bhagyashree Kaluram Shinde, a young girl from the Wadar Vasti community, represents resilience and determination. Her family, part of the Mati Wadar community, has encountered significant obstacles. The family’s move to Wadar Vasti and the closure of her father’s traditional mattress weaving business during the COVID-19 pandemic rushed them into crisis.


Amidst hardship, Bhagyashree’s father adjusted to the situation by establishing a small general store within their community. The family of six, which includes Bhagyashree’s parents, grandmother, and two younger sisters, worked together to navigate their new situations. Despite the challenges, Bhagyashree remained unwavering in her academic pursuits and extracurricular activities.


Bhagyashree has been an enthusiastic and energetic girl since childhood. Her parents says that she first began learning karate when she was in class 4. With her interest in sports, she chose karate and initially took a few days of coaching.


However, due to her family’s financial challenges, continuing formal training was not possible. Recognising her dedication and passion, her karate teacher Nitin Kamble decided to train her completely free of cost, ensuring that her dreams were not hindered by financial constraints.


For the past nine years, she has honed her skills in karate and become a formidable athlete with his unwavering support, both financial and motivational. Her journey in karate is marked by dedication, discipline, and countless hours of rigorous training.

A member of Child Rights and You’s activity center collective groups, Bhagyashree, actively participates in all the programs and events offered. She achieved a commendable 54 per cent in her 10th-grade examinations last year, demonstrating her dedication to her studies.


Bhagyashree’s journey from a small community in Wadar Vasti to the national stage is a proof to her dedication and perseverance. Her achievements at the City and State level tournaments in Katraj, Pune, where she secured second place and earned a silver medal, have paved the way for her participation in the National level tournament in Haryana in August 2024.


This success not only represents a personal achievement for Bhagyashree but also brings great pride to her family and community.


Her accomplishments emphasise that no goal is unattainable, and through hard work, persistence, and the right encouragement, one can achieve anything. She is not just a talented karate athlete; she symbolizes resilience, hope, and the limitless potential that resides within each of us. The sport not only strengthened her physically but also built her confidence.


Bhagyashree says, “I am no longer afraid to walk around the community, even at night, because I know I can protect myself.” This transformation, she believes, was made possible only because of karate, which empowered her with both skills and self-belief. She is pursuing her further education while also teaching karate to children in her community. Her dream is not only to achieve personal success in the sport but also to empower other girls through karate, helping them become as brave and confident.

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