49 years of Sholay: Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar's cult movie was removed from theatres for THIS movie!

49 years ago, Ramesh Sippy's action-adventure movie Sholay hit the theatres. Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan) and debutant Amjad Khan played major roles in the movie. Though the movie failed to draw an audience to the theatres in the initial week, with time, it became a classic cult and remains a true Indian cinematic treasure. 

Sholay: The True Indian Cinematic Treasure 

Be it the friendship tale of Jai-Veeru, Thakur's revenge, Gabbar's atrocity on poor villagers or the friendship anthem 'Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge...', the movie is revered by moviegoers as a cinematic marvel even after 49 years of its release.

Sholay holds the record of the longest-running full-length movie in Indian cinema, with a theatrical run of over 5 years. Moreover, reports suggest that the movie was played at a Mumbai theatre for 10 years. As per reports, the movie sold over 150 million tickets since its release. Sholay is still considered the biggest hit film of Indian cinema. But, did you know, there is a movie, completely of a different genre, that outdid Sholay?

The movie that beat Sholay!

Yes, the movie was made at a mere budget of Rs 25 lakh without any hero or villain and emerged as the 'biggest' Indian film by beating Sholay. Sippy's cult movie was removed from theatres for this movie as well.

Jai Santoshi Maa: The 'Biggest' Indian Cinema

Veteran singer-producer Dada Satram Rohra, who recently passed away on July 18 at 85, produced the 'biggest' Indian cinema Jai Santoshi Maa. The family drama directed by Vijay Sharma starred Kanan Kaushal, Ashish Kumar, Rajnibala, Anita Guha, Bharat Bhushan, Bela Bose, and others. The movie was about Goddess Santoshi.

Jai Maa Santoshi movie posters

The movie was released at a time when people were unaware about the diety. People in industry also claimed that people who don't know about the Goddess, how will they come to watch the movie. As per reports, in the first week, only 100 moviegoers watched the movie in theatres. However, miraculously, in the second week, Sholay was removed from theatres for Jai Maa Santoshi. The shows were houseful and people opined that the movie's success was for divine intervention. Theatres increased the shows of Jai Maa Santoshi and people from rural areas travelled to urban areas to watch the movie with their family. 

A report quoted the lead actress, Anita Guha, saying, "People in Mumbai's Bandra didn't watch movies related to Gods. However, the movie ran successfully in a theater in Bandra for 50 weeks. 

The craze for Jai Maa Santoshi was such high that theatres turned into temples and audiences left their footwear outside the cinema halls. 

Stills from Jai Santoshi Maa movie

A report cited filmmaker Vijay Varma as saying that his wife was unable to conceive even after several years of marriage. Suddenly, an old woman suggested Varma's wife to worship Maa Santoshi and miraculously after 11 weeks, she got pregnant. That day, Varma decided to make the movie and went to different actors, but, everyone turned down the offer. However, Anita Guha accepted the offer. If reports are anything to go by, Anita used to observe fasting during her shooting days. Even none of the distributors agreed to release the movie initially. But, later Kedarnath Agarwal and his partner Sandeep Shetty agreed to its distribution. The movie emerged as a blockbuster and such was the influence of Anita Guha, people used to worship her. 

Well, Sholay undeniably holds its special place in the hearts of moviegoers even after 49 years. It is quite evident from the flooding social media posts remembering 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' in Indian cinema.