Farhan Akhtar reveals Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan changed the original ending of Sholay due to Emergency: ‘Thakur crushed Gabbar with his own feet’

As India celebrates the 50th anniversary of Sholay this Independence Day, actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has opened up about the film’s powerful legacy, its groundbreaking visuals, and the lesser-known truth about its original, much darker ending.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by the legendary Salim-Javed duo, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, Sholay released on August 15, 1975. It featured an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, and Jaya Bachchan. The film didn’t just define careers, it changed the landscape of Indian cinema.

‘Every character in Sholay was unforgettable’

Promoting his upcoming war drama 120 Bahadur on Prakhar Gupta’s podcast, Farhan Akhtar recalled the impact of Sholay on his generation. “The film just leaves a huge impact on you,” he said. “The way it was mounted and all the characters were fun. It wasn’t just Jai and Veeru who were exciting — the jailer, Surma Bhopali, Gabbar, and Basanti were all great characters. It was a massive hit.”

He further praised the film’s production value and technical brilliance, calling it ahead of its time. “The direction and shooting were so great… it had never happened before, apart from maybe Mughal-E-Azam. You look at the visuals and think, ‘How did they shoot this?’ Even today, it stands the test of time. People still don’t make films like that. Everyone is so dependent on VFX, and that will never look as good as Sholay.”


‘Thakur was meant to kill Gabbar’

Farhan then revealed that the climax we saw on screen wasn’t what Salim-Javed had originally written. According to him, Thakur, the police officer played by Sanjeev Kumar, was originally meant to kill Gabbar Singh with his bare feet in a brutal act of revenge after losing his family and arms to the dacoit.
“In the original ending, he actually kills Gabbar,” Farhan shared. “That was the emotional core of the film — Thakur plotting his revenge after his hands were cut off. We get lost in the Jai-Veeru friendship, but the real spine was the honest cop going after the dacoit who ruined his life.”


‘They joked that only the postman was missing’
The change, Farhan revealed, was made under pressure during the Emergency era, which led to a more ‘acceptable’ ending where the police arrest Gabbar instead. “They had to change it due to the Emergency, and the original ending is now available. That is actually when he cries — after crushing Gabbar with his own feet.”

Describing the frustration of his father Javed Akhtar and writing partner Salim Khan, Farhan added, “They were wondering about everyone showing up — the villagers, the police, the protagonists — and joked that the only person missing now is a postman. The ending didn’t make sense to them, but they had no choice.”