Mumbai: Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy shed light on why Jaya Bachchan did not have many dialogues in his iconic drama "Sholay".  

The director revealed that, as she was playing a widow in the film, it was only fitting to show her as someone who spoke less, and only when spoken to.

During an exclusive conversation with IANS, Sippy was asked, "Jaya Bachchan did not have many dialogues in the film, do you feel that the female character was underrated?" To this, the filmmaker replied with a "Not at all".

Explaining his point further, Sippy shared: "Although Jaya ji was silent during the film playing a widow, she is such a wonderful artist that she was able to convey her feelings through her eyes. The same was the case with Amit Ji (Amitabh Bachchan); besides his action scenes, he had to respect the fact that she was a widow and the daughter-in-law of the house."

He also pointed out that the entire story of "Sholay" revolved around Sanjeev Kumar's revenge after his whole family is killed by Gabbar. So, it was proper that Jaya Bachchan had only a few dialogues in the movie.

Additionally, Sippy revealed that when he first cast Amjad Khan as Gabbar in "Sholay", many doubted his choice, feeling that the late actor was like a "mouse" compared to the other cast, such as Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.

However, Amjad's powerful performance as the rugged antagonist proved everyone wrong.

Talking to IANS, Sippy shared: "For those who did not like them, they will say this only that many big stars are there and there is a mouse standing in front of them (itne saare badhe actor log hai aur unke saamne ek chuha khada kardiya).”

“And they did not know and got a slap on their face that he only became such a big star (aur unko kya pata tha ki aisi thappad wapas milegi wohi sabse badha star ban gaya),” the filmmaker added.

Penned by the legendary screenwriting duo Salim-Javed, "Sholay" went on to become one of the longest-running films of Indian cinema.

(IANS)