Sholay 4K Restoration at TIFF: India’s Greatest Film Gets Its True Ending After 50 Years

When you say the word Sholay in India, people instantly think of Jai-Veeru’s friendship, Gabbar Singh’s terror, Thakur’s vengeance, and dialogues that have become part of our daily conversations. Now imagine watching all of that again—but sharper, clearer, and with scenes you’ve never seen before. That dream just came true at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where the 4K restored version of Sholay premiered to thunderous applause.

A Legendary Homecoming for Indian Cinema

On 6th September 2025, Toronto’s grand Roy Thomson Hall turned into Ramgarh. Bobby Deol walked the red carpet representing his father, Dharmendra, who played the unforgettable Veeru. Director Ramesh Sippy, producer Shehzad Sippy, and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation were present to unveil what is being called the “final cut” of Sholay.

For the first time in 50 years, audiences got to watch the film exactly as Sippy envisioned it—with the original ending where Thakur finally avenges his family by killing Gabbar Singh.

The Lost Ending That Shocked India

Back in 1975, during the Emergency, the censor board felt it was “too violent” to show a retired police officer taking law into his own hands. So the ending was changed: Gabbar was handed over to the police instead of being killed.

But now, thanks to a rare color reversal print found in London, the real ending and two censored scenes have been restored. This adds six minutes of powerful footage, making the final runtime a grand 3 hours 24 minutes.

A Three-Year Battle to Save Sholay

The restoration wasn’t easy. The original camera negative had deteriorated due to vinegar syndrome. The team had to search warehouses in Mumbai and even dig into archives in the UK. Finally, with help from the British Film Institute, the missing pieces were found.

The entire restoration was carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovato in Bologna, Italy, known as the world’s best lab for film restoration. Every frame was cleaned, every sound rebalanced, and even R.D. Burman’s music got a fresh shine using original magnetic tracks found in Sippy’s office.

Bobby Deol and the Family Legacy

Bobby Deol’s presence made the evening even more emotional. He stood in for his father Dharmendra, proving how Sholay continues to connect generations. Bobby also had his own TIFF film premiering (Monkey in a Cage), making it a proud double moment for the Deol family.

As Dharmendra himself said, “Sholay is the 8th wonder of the world. I am thrilled it is being restored. It will win hearts again like it did 50 years ago.”

Why TIFF Was the Perfect Stage

Sholay’s TIFF gala was held at the festival’s biggest venue, Roy Thomson Hall (1,800 seats). Both TIFF and Sholay are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year, making the timing poetic. TIFF’s director of programming Robyn Citizen summed it up beautifully: “We needed to put Sholay in a venue of proper scale. It’s more than a film—it’s a phenomenon.”

From Flop to Forever

It’s hard to believe that when Sholay released in 1975, critics called it a flop. But within ten weeks, word of mouth turned it into a mega-blockbuster, running for five years at Mumbai’s Minerva cinema and holding the record for highest-grossing Indian film for 19 years.

Even Amitabh Bachchan, recalling the journey, said: “Its dramatic change in fortunes was an emotional rollercoaster. Now, to see it restored with the original ending—it feels like history completing itself.”

Sholay’s New Life

This isn’t just nostalgia. The restoration means that new generations—kids who only heard about Jai-Veeru from their parents—can now watch Sholay as it was meant to be seen. Shehzad Sippy calls it a “new lease of life” for the film, and the beginning of a fresh chapter for Sippy Films.

Aapke Sawal, Hamare Jawab! (FAQs)

Q1. What is special about the restored Sholay 4K version? The restored version includes the original ending where Thakur kills Gabbar Singh, plus two deleted scenes that were censored in 1975. It’s now a complete 3 hours 24 minutes long.

Q2. Where was Sholay restored? The restoration was done at L’Immagine Ritrovato lab in Bologna, Italy, known worldwide for film preservation.

Q3. Did they use AI in the restoration? No. The team refused to use artificial intelligence. They only cleaned and repaired the film while adding back deleted material, keeping Ramesh Sippy’s vision intact.

Q4. When will the 4K Sholay release in India? The TIFF gala was its North American premiere. An Indian release is expected soon, possibly with a theatrical run and streaming platform debut.

Q5. Why was the original ending cut in 1975? During the Emergency, censors thought it was “too violent” to show Thakur killing Gabbar Singh. They forced the filmmakers to change it so Gabbar was arrested instead.