Ramesh Sippy on the Film Which Brought Down the Shaan of Sholay

Mumbai: Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy said that his blockbuster film Sholay had to make way for his own film Shaan due to lack of theatres, else the former may have had a longer run at the box office.

At an event to celebrate 40 years of Sholay, Mr Sippy said: "At that time, theatres were the only place where you could've watched films. Sholay, which ran for a long time could've had a longer run at the box office as there was a great demand for those kind of films. We would often joke that Sholay would come down with Shaan (pride). So we had to remove our film Sholay for our own film Shaan, otherwise it could've worked more."

"Today, you can watch a film on your mobile, TV or internet, Even if you watch a film 50 times, you don't need to go back to the theatres. But during that time, there was no piracy and it was a wonderful time for cinema. I was lucky that at that time, there wasn't any other technology or gadgets that you could've watched it anywhere else. That was one of the reasons for the long run of my films," he added.

Although films do not run for a long time at the box office, Mr Sippy said that the love for cinema is very much intact. "People still love films. It is a source of entertainment and people enjoy watching their favourite stars. Even today there are brilliant actors, actresses and makers. You can see it this year itself, be it, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Piku or Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and so many other films," Mr Sippy said.