As Sholay celebrates its 50th anniversary since its release on Independence Day 1975, the villages along Navi Mumbai’s Panvel-Uran road still echo with fond memories of the film’s shooting, which transformed their bucolic landscapes into cinematic history. The Ramesh Sippy-directed masterpiece, now a cult classic, left an indelible mark on the Agri and Koli communities, who recall the excitement of hosting Bollywood legends like Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, and Jaya Bachchan.

In the early 1970s, these villages, reliant on paddy farming and fishing, became vibrant film sets. Sanjay Shelar, a 62-year-old resident, reminisces about Dharmendra, who played Veeru, mingling with locals and trading his biryani for their jawla sukat (dry fish) and tandul bhakri (rice flour flatbread). “The crew also shared drinks, while villagers offered home-made brew,” Shelar said, highlighting the warm exchanges. The cast and crew stayed at Pravin Hotel in Old Panvel, with a dedicated space for the film’s horses.

Key scenes were filmed along the Panvel-Uran road. The iconic sequence where Basanti (Hema Malini) picks up Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru from a railway station was shot near Panvel station. The flirtatious mango grove scene, where Veeru aims at mangoes while wooing Basanti, was filmed in Chinchpada, now a vehicle garage. The thrilling train robbery sequence, featuring Gabbar Singh’s (Amjad Khan) dacoits on horseback, unfolded along the Panvel-Uran railway line near Bambavi Pada. The sawmill scene with Soorma Bhopali’s (Jagdeep) exaggerated tale was also shot locally, with the sawmill still operational today.

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Prabhakar Mundkar, a Bambavi Pada resident, recalls selling watermelons to crowds gathered around the sets. He vividly remembers the high-octane train scene where logs are smashed on the tracks. Janardhan Nama Patil, an 82-year-old from Bambavi village, recounts the filming of the horse-chase sequence and Veeru’s fight with dacoits amid burning coal. Naresh Gaikar, 56, notes that a village set was constructed near Bambavi Pada, where scenes like the abduction of Basanti and the climactic firefight on a wooden bridge were shot. A local boy from Owala village even played a role, guiding Veeru to the dacoits’ path.

The allure of Sholay drew hundreds of youths and children, who skipped work and school to watch Hema Malini, the “Dream Girl,” in action. However, urbanization has since transformed these idyllic settings. Chandrakant Patil laments the loss of mountains, hills, and water bodies to projects by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). “Our villages were so beautiful that they attracted filmmakers,” he said, adding that Sholay’s legacy overshadows other films like Nastik, Yadon Ki Barat, and Papi shot in the region.

For these villagers, Sholay remains a cultural touchstone, its memories as vivid as the film’s iconic dialogues. “Visiting these shooting locations even after 50 years speaks to the film’s enduring success,” Patil said, beaming with pride.

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