Sholay was not meant to be a multi-starrer film, screenwriter duo Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan revealed at Film Heritage Foundation’s special one-time screening of the 1975 blockbuster on Saturday at Regal Cinema in Mumbai.

Before the screening began, the screenwriter duo addressed the fans at the venue and were greeted with thunderous applause and whistles.“

“This usually doesn't happen with writers,” remarked Javed, who was visibly moved, while expressing heartfelt gratitude to the audience. The 79-year-old screenwriter-lyricist went on to acknowledge the audience’s ongoing love and appreciation for the film.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay is a landmark movie in the history of Bollywood as it went on to break records after release. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan, the movie and its characters have gone deep down into Bollywood lore.

"There's some magic, and that magic is not created just by us. It is somewhere between us and the audience. Thank you for appreciating this film, and we are thankful to the audience of India and overseas where the picture has been appreciated," he added.

Speaking briefly at the event, Salim jokingly shared that before entering the hall, Javed had asked him whether people would show up for the screening. “But after witnessing the crowd, he was assured that the screening was a success,” he added, leaving everyone in the crowd in splits.