Movie Channels
Zee Classic to air cult favourite ‘Sholay’ for the first time
MUMBAI: Even after 40 years of its release, the characters and dialogues of Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay are etched into our memories. Be it Basanti chatting away nines to the dozen but at the end claiming breathlessly, ‘Kyunke mujhe befuzool baat karne ki aadat to hai nahin’ or Gabbar Singh’s booming voice philosophizing, ‘Jo darr gaya samjho margaya’ or the sound of the swing squeaking after the dacoits have inflicted their reign of terror on the household of Thakur Baldev Singh, the movie continues to be a favourite throughout generations. Bringing alive its core proposition – ‘Woh Zamaana, Kare Deewana’ – Zee Classic brings the greatest epic ever told with the finest starcast ever assembled on Saturday, 20 June at 7:30 pm.
The movie starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan in lead roles holds a first-time record of running successfully for five years at Mumbai’s Minerva theatre. Not many know that initially Dharmendra was keen to play the role of Thakur Baldev Singh, which was immortalised by Sanjeev Kumar. He agreed to play Veeru only when the director told him, if he didn’t do it, Sanjeev Kumar would get the part and Basanti, too. Since Sanjeev Kumar had just proposed marriage to Hema Malini, Dharmendra didn’t want him sharing screen space with her let alone romancing her. And as they say rest is history, he quickly took on Veeru’s role.
During the making of Sholay, four of the leads became romantically involved. While Amitabh Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri four months before filming started, Dharmendra had begun wooing Hema Malini during their earlier film Seeta Aur Geeta and used the location of Sholay to help further his case. During their romantic scenes, he would pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring retakes.
Exalted more than a religious scriptures for characterisation in Bollywood, Sholay tells a story of Amitabh Bachchan (Jai) and Dharmendra (Veeru) the two outlaws hired by a traumatized police officer (Sanjeev Kumar) to avenge the brutal murder of his family by Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), the most feared villain in Hindi film.
Everything about Sholay attained classic status and quickly entered the pop culture mainstream: the music by R.D. Burman, the dialogue by Salim-Javed and the characters, who also include garrulous female horse cart driver Basanti (Hema Malini) and the wistful widow Radha (Jaya Bhaduri).
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
