Sholay Returns With Original Ending After 50 Years, Premieres in 4K at Italian Film Festival

The restored version of Sholay includes long-deleted scenes, including the powerful original climax where Thakur kills Gabbar—censored from the 1975 release

27 June 2025, New Delhi

After five decades, Indian cinema’s legendary film Sholay has returned in its original form. The restored 4K version, featuring the long-censored climax where Thakur Baldev Singh kills Gabbar Singh, premiered today at the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy, marking the film’s 50th anniversary.

When Sholay first released in 1975, the Censor Board objected to its violent original ending. Director Ramesh Sippy had filmed Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar) avenging his family by killing Gabbar (Amjad Khan) with his spiked shoes. However, during the Emergency, the scene was deemed too brutal and replaced with a version where Gabbar is merely arrested.

Now, after a meticulous three-year effort by the Film Heritage Foundation, in collaboration with Sippy Films and support from the British Film Institute, Sholay has been digitally restored in 4K Ultra HD. The remastered version runs for 3 hours and 24 minutes, reinstating not just the original climax but other never-before-seen scenes.

Film Heritage Foundation founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur called the restoration a historic achievement, noting that Sholay can now be experienced “as it was meant to be.” The film is presented in its full Cinemascope format and original mono sound, bringing back its lost grandeur.

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The premiere at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore attracted film lovers from around the world, placing Sholay among global cinema classics being preserved for future generations—alongside names like Kurosawa, Fellini, and Satyajit Ray.

Veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra welcomed the restoration. Bachchan said the film would now resonate with both old and new generations, while Dharmendra called it “the eighth wonder of the world.”

Following its international showcase, Sholay is expected to be re-released in theatres across India. For many fans, especially the younger audience, this will be the first opportunity to witness the uncut and original version of a film that changed Indian cinema forever.

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