Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan's Sholay to re-release in theatres with the original climax that was censored

Sholay (1975) - Dharmendra as Veeru became the heartbeat of the film. His easy charm, fearless spirit, and chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini made the character timeless. Sholay is more than a movie; it’s a shared memory for generations.

One of the most iconic Bollywood films, Sholay, is set to return to theatres in a way audiences have never experienced before. A newly restored 4K version, titled Sholay: The Final Cut, will hit 1500 screens across India on December 12, 2025. The Ramesh Sippy classic, which completed five decades on August 15 this year, remains a cultural landmark whose characters, dialogues and moments have transcended generations.

Headlined by Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan, Sholay continues to be regarded as India’s most-watched film. This status has been achieved not through box-office numbers alone, but through its unmatched legacy and deep cultural imprint. Its re-release will certainly be a historic moment for Bollywood fans who have caught on the wave of re-releases of classics.

What makes this release especially significant is the inclusion of the film’s original, uncensored climax, which has never been shown publicly since the film’s production in 1975. During the Emergency, the Central Board of Film Certification ordered major changes to the ending, that resulted in the altered finale that viewers have known for decades. Now, after half a century, audiences will finally be able to watch the film exactly as director Ramesh Sippy intended.

Announcing the project, Sippy Films wrote on social media, “‘Sholay: The Final Cut’ - In cinemas December 12, 2025. Experience the original uncut version for the first time ever, restored in 4K and Dolby 5.1 by Film Heritage Foundation.”

At the centre of this legendary alternate ending is a dramatically intense moment where Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar) kills Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) using spiked footwear, a raw and violent act of vengeance that the CBFC had deemed too graphic in 1975. The sequence, long whispered about in film circles and treated as near-myth, will finally be unveiled in its entirety.

A restored print was showcased earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received an enthusiastic response. With its return to theatres, audiences old and new will get to revisit the epic in a form truer than any seen before.