The iconic hit film of the 70s decade of Bollywood, Sholay has been remembered for multiple reasons, some of which are directly related to the multi-starrer cast of the film. While Amjad Khan’s portrayal of Gabbar Singh gives goosebumps even today, so were the pivotal characters of Jai and Veeru played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, hailed even today as the ultimate epitome of friendship. While most of these characters shared the same scene space during the film, interestingly, it was Hema Malini as Dhanno and Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur Sahab who were never captured in a particular scene together. While some may consider it a normal course of the plotline of the film, nevertheless, there was rather a peculiar reason behind the same.
Sanjeev Kumar and Hema Malini’s relationship
To begin with, back in the early 70s, Sanjeev Kumar had asked for Hema Malini’s hand in marriage from her parents after being completely smitten and blown over by her beauty. However, Hema’s mother abstained from the match to happen since by then, she had already finalised a groom for Hema, belonging to their same caste. Hema, too, agreed with her mother and had refused Sanjeev Kumar’s marriage proposal. This action had terribly hurt Sanjeev and went to create a sour bond between the two.