Sholay — A Curry Western

A retired policeman in a small village summons a pair of small-time thieves that he had once arrested. He feels that the duo — Veeru and Jai — would be ideal to help him capture Gabbar Singh, a bandit wanted by the authorities dead or alive for a big reward. The policeman will pay an additional award if they surrender Gabbar to him alive.

Veeru and Jai grow fond of the villagers. Veeru is attracted to Basanti, a feisty, talkative young woman. Jai is drawn to Radha, the policeman's reclusive, widowed daughter-in-law.

Eventually, several skirmishes leads to big show-down comes with the bandits and the chance for Veeru and Jai to show what they're really made of.

Based on Wikipedia description

I've known about spaghetti Westerns for a long time, of course, but had never heard of a curry Western until I watched the most famous one ever made — Sholay (Embers).

This was set in the time in which it was made, 1975, but it still feels authentically Western. Rural India was fairly undeveloped technologically so there's the juxtaposition of a modern policeman, motorcycles, and denim caps with horse-mounted bandits, steam locomotives, and the simple village life. That setting totally works. You can identify elements of the source materials but the plot is still distinctively Indian and goes its own way, as is so often the case in these adaptations.

As an interpretation of The Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, and Once Upon a Time in the West, this was perfect in so many ways. Yet being a meandering 3-1/2 hour film simultaneously makes it imperfect, at least by Western standards. It surely would have benefited from a tighter screenplay, but then it wouldn't have been a 1975 Indian film. So it is what it is.

I am now on the Amitabh Bachchan train and understand why so many people liked his acting. I'd only seen him in Amar Akbar Anthony which is a screwball comedy with a crazy plot that I wasn't a fan of, although I could see why it was an iconic film. In this, however, there was none of the over-the-top acting which is the Bollywood standard. He was very natural and totally cool. I could watch Jai all day.

I am sure that some of the other elements I loved are equally iconic:

• the coin flips
• the opening with a bandit gang mounted on horses trying to rob a Western-style steam train
• Basanti's dance to save Veeru
• the Holi celebration of colors
• the vicious villain Gabbar
• the first song with Jai and Veeru celebrating their bromance on a motorcycle with sidecar while one plays a harmonica. Good times.

I can see why this film has had such staying power.

Rating — for advanced viewers. (You've got to be willing to let this one wash over you, enjoying the ride for what it is ... and that means you've got to have seen enough other Indian movies to not worry about some dead space or romantic side trips. After all, how else are you going to see a musical Western with a Hindi celebration of colors?)