50 Years Of Sholay: Not Gabbar but Hema Malini-Dharmendra made Sholay a cult classic? Actress reveals an interesting secret:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Sholay's Basanti is still one of Hema Malini's best characters. Her character eventually falls in love with Veeru (Dharmendra) and in real life too, they loved each other very much.

Did the real love story make Sholay a hit?

Hema Malini smiles and says, 'He loved me a lot, just like I loved him. Our relationship was very good as we did many films together. We used to share a lot with each other, sorrows as well as happiness. Eventually friendship turned into love, perhaps this is what was seen on the big screen and in the film too'. She further says, 'It is a good feeling isn't it? A sweet friendship eventually leads to love and care for each other'.

This was the first scene of Sholay

Hema Malini reminisced about shooting the famous temple scene with Dharmendra, saying that it was her first scene in the film. She said, 'The temple scene was my first scene. It was so much fun. Basanti was talking to Lord Shiva so innocently and was responding to Lord Shiva. Everything was so different. The shoot happened outside in the summer season, I don't think we shot anything inside. Even Ramanagara in Karnataka, where the climax scene takes place, is the same. They haven't built anything there'.

Sholay was the biggest blockbuster film of that time which was written by the duo Salim Javed. Actors like Dharmendra, Amitabh, Jaya Bhaduri, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan worked in it. The film was highly appreciated and even today it is one of the most memorable films of Indian cinema.