The 1975 Indian cinema landmark “Sholay” will make its “Films in Concert” world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 10, with Melvin Tay conducting the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performing R. D. Burman’s score live to screen.
Sippy Films and esk are producing the event.
The screening will present “Sholay: The Final Cut,” a recently restored 4K version of Ramesh Sippy’s film that reinstates footage cut by the Indian censor board in 1975. The print will be projected in Hindi with English subtitles onto a giant HD screen in the Hall’s auditorium. According to Sippy Films, the restored version will be available theatrically for only a limited window.
“We are truly excited to partner with esk to bring ‘Sholay’ to audiences in this novel format,” said Shehzad Sippy, head of Sippy Films. “The screening will feature ‘Sholay: The Final Cut,’ the recently restored 4K version of the film with its original cut that had been banned by the Indian censor board in 1975.”
The film follows two petty criminals, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra), who are hired by a retired, disabled police officer, Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), to capture the bandit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), who massacred his family.
Matt Todd, director of programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “‘Sholay’ is an undisputed Bollywood classic paired with an impeccable score, so to host its ‘Films in Concert’ world premiere here at the Hall is incredibly exciting.”
“Sholay” consistently tops critical rankings of Indian cinema – named “Film of the Millennium” by BBC India in 1999, placed in the British Film Institute’s top 10 Indian films of all time in 2002, and ranked first on Time Out’s “100 Best Bollywood Movies” list in 2023.
Samuel Weatherstone, CEO and co-founder of esk, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Sippy Films to bring their restored 4K version of ‘Sholay: The Final Cut’ to audiences in this immersive way for the first time.”
The event follows last year’s “RRR in Concert” at the Hall, which featured appearances by Ram Charan, N.T.R., director S. S. Rajamouli and composer M. M. Keeravani. Other upcoming “Films in Concert” events at the venue include anniversary screenings of “La La Land,” “Casino Royale,” “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” “Brassed Off” and “Matilda.”
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