Even with the Bollywood going international and the perspective of Indian film-making witnessing a sea change over the last couple of years, one film which remains engraved in every Indian heart is definitely “Sholay”. The 1975 movie is still an eyeball catcher every time it is being telecast on the television. Hence, in an attempt to recreate the ‘Sholay’ magic for the modern-day audience, a film titled “Aakhri Gabbar” will be made on the lines of the Jai-Veeru-Gabbar saga. However producer and co-director Riyaz Shaikh refuses to term his venture as a remake.
It goes without saying that “Sholay” was as much about Gabbar as it was about the two friends Jai and Veeru, if not more. Who can ever forget the dacoit, ravaging the villages on his horseback and shouting expletives at his partners. The new film, too, will show all of this and more with a twist! According to the reports circulating in the media, the actors portraying the different characters in “Aakhri Gabbar” will be dwarfs! Though this may sound a little strange, it is nevertheless true that all the actors in “Aakhri Gabbar” are in the height range of 3 to 4 feet, and this time around they will perform their stunts on the backs of donkeys instead of horses!
So from where did Riyaz Shaikh chance upon such a different idea? The man says that his inspiration was a short-height friend of his, who supposedly was not able to make the proper use of his talents since he was short in height. Hence “Aakhri Gabbar” is an attempt on the part of Riyaz Shaikh, also standing at 5’5”, to promote the talents of dwarfs!
