After the script is ready, finding the apt locations is the first thing that the producer and the director focus on. A specific budget is assigned for this activity and it is in this trip, all the locations are finalized and shooting permissions and other legal formalities are completed.
When the final draft of Sholay, written by Salim-Javed, was given to director Ramesh Sippy, he explored many locations but finally zeroed in on Ramanagara, a village near Bangalore (now Bengaluru).
Major portions of the film were shot in Ramanagara and after the film became a huge hit, the villagers have re-named a small village there as Sippynagar. The village was called Ramgarh in the film. In the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, there are huge rocks of granite.
That location was used as Gabbar’s (Amjad Khan) hideout. His men sat on top of the rock, keeping a close eye on any attacks by the police. Sambha (late Mac Mohan) delivered his only four word dialogue, ‘Sarkar Poore Pachas Hazaar’ sitting at the edge of a huge rock. This specific area even now draws a lot of tourists from all over the world.
Jab Tak Hain Jaan which has Hema Malini dancing bare feet in front of the Gabbar and his men was also shot at the same location used as Gabbar’s hideout.
Thakur’s house (Sanjeev Kumar) was also built in Ramanagara. The hit song ‘Yeh Dosti’ featuring Amitabh and Dharmendra was picturised in the same village.
The train robbery sequence, which was the first of its kind in Hindi cinema for the action scenes and sound effects, was shot on the Mumbai Pune railway route near Panvel. Ramesh Sippy took more than 7 weeks to shoot the action sequence.
It is the locations used in the film which gives a layer and a character to a film apart from individual performances. All the locations were just perfect for Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster Sholay.
Some time back there were rumours that a private company wanted to construct a resort in that village with Sholay as its theme, however, nothing has been finalized so far.
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