50 Years Of Sholay: How Much Would The Megahit Make Today And More
The Ramesh Sippy-directed film, written by Salim-Javed, starred an ensemble cast with Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan among others.
Multi-starrer, multi-bagger and evergreen epic Hindi film Sholay completes 50 years of its release on Aug. 15. Friendship, rivalry, dacoits, action, comedy, romance, unforgettable dialogues and some terrific songs—that's the perfect formula for a hit 'Masala' Bollywood movie, which Sholay is known for.
The 1975 Ramesh Sippy directorial film, written by Salim-Javed starred an ensemble cast with Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan among others.
But, did you know, that the iconic movie actually, had a disappointing start and lost the Independence Day clash? Though over the years, Sholay has become a pop culture phenomenon in India—with its characters Jai-Veeru's friendship goals, Basanti's vivacious dialogues, Thakur and Gabbar getting mentions in memes and the quotes. The movie's dialogues like 'Kitne Aadmi the? are still a selling point.
Original Poster of Sholay (Image: Film Heritage Foundation/X profile)
Sholay Vs Jai Santoshi Maa
On Aug. 15, 1975, Sholay mounted on a budget of Rs 2.5 crore clashed with Jai Santoshi Maa, a devotional film made for Rs 30 lakh. Jai Santoshi Maa won the Independence Day clash and became a sleeper hit, with people singing bhajans in theatres and offering puja's. Though Sholay faced early hiccups, in its box office run picked up from the second weekend on solid word-of-mouth.
While Ramesh Sippy’s film opened at the box office with Rs 8 lakhs, Jai Santoshi Maa opened at the box office at Rs 7 lakhs. Sholay was mounted on a budget of 2.5 crore at the box office, and it earned a profit of 500% against a lifetime collection of 15 crore. Jai Santoshi Maa was made on a budget of only 30 lakh and collected 5.25 crore in its lifetime, churning out a profit of 1,616%, as per India Today data.
According to some estimates as per media reports, adjusted for inflation, Sholay’s earnings today would reach above Rs 3,000 crore, placing it alongside or ahead of the highest-grossing Indian films in history.
Records And Historic Box Office Run
This Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra-starrer remains the biggest box office hit in Indian cinema history, based on footfalls and inflation-adjusted earnings.
Sholay became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, breaking Mughal-e-Azam's record, with a total earnings of Rs 35 crore at the worldwide box office and remained the highest-grossing film in India until the release of Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! in 1994.
The movie still holds the record for the most tickets ever sold for an Indian film. It has registered footfalls of 12.5 crores the highest ever for an Indian film.
The movie has been released numerous times in the last 49 years. The movie's 4k restored version to be screened at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival in September this year. The special screening will take place on Sept. 6, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall.
Across India, it achieved 60 golden jubilees at 50 weeks in a single theater and over 100 silver jubilees at 25 weeks—until Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995. Sholay enjoyed a historic run spanning a 5 years at the Minerva Theatre in Mumbai.
