Sholay prep: Dharmendra’s vodka twist

Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy and actress Hema Malini have shared fascinating anecdotes from the sets of Sholay, recalling how Dharmendra once walked nearly 50 kilometres from his hotel to the shooting location and even added a dash of vodka to coconut water to get into the right spirit.

The two were recently present at the magazine cover launch commemorating 50 years of Sholay.

Recalling the incident, Ramesh Sippy exclusively told, “One day, Dharmendra decided that he wanted to walk all the way from the hotel to the shooting spot, which was almost 50 kilometres away. He started walking around two or three in the morning, stopped briefly in between, and continued till he reached the location at around seven in the morning. After resting for an hour, he came out and was ready to shoot. It was unbelievable, but he was completely determined.”

Hema Malini added, “He would walk miles and miles.”

Sippy further highlighted the actor’s fun-loving side, and said, “That was one side of Dharmendra. The other side was his playful nature. Sometimes there would be a little vodka mixed into coconut water, a small wink, and the message would pass through. It gave him a certain spirit.”

The filmmaker then went on to describe Dharmendra’s personality, and said, “There was a childlike innocence in him that came through very often, and within moments, he would turn into a strong, serious man. That quality was very winning. He could get angry, but he would be absolutely fine again within moments.”

For the uninitiated, Dharmendra essayed the role of Veeru in the iconic movie Sholay that released in 1975.

It went onto become a cult classic and one of the finest movies of Indian cinema.

The movie along with Dharmendra also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, AK Hangal, Sachin Pilgaonkar amongst others.