The song “Gaon mein peepal, peepal ki chaiyan…chaiyan mein panaghat” perfectly captures the essence of old Indian villages. However, in Sholay, not only were the dacoits’ attire changed, but the village’s landscape was completely altered. There were no peepal or banyan trees, nor were there lush fields of corn or blooming yellow mustard flowers. It was surrounded by high cliffs, the roads were rocky, and everything around was barren. Yet, Ramgarh in Sholay was an idealistic village model. It wouldn’t be wrong to call it a smart village of today’s era. Ramgarh had everything that could give it the status of a developed village.
Even fifty years after the release of Sholay, many aspects of Ramgarh seem like a dream for countless villages across India. The entire area is filled with rocks, but when Gabbar Singh’s gang of dacoits comes to the village to collect extortion money, the villagers Shankar and Dholia bring out sacks upon sacks of grains from their homes. The dacoit asks, “Kya laye Shankar?” and he replies, “Jowar laya hun, mai-baap.” It truly feels like a magical world. It seems as if Ramgarh was established by a magician.
Who was the magician behind Ramgarh?
Who was the magician, and why did they create such a unique world? We will try to find out. Many of you must have seen the film Sholay, and you probably remember every single dialogue. Recall every scene of the film. It’s surrounded by high cliffs. Roads have been carved out of the cliffs. Looking at the roads between the cliffs, it seems that there must have been a mountain man like Dashrath Manjhi, a tenacious lover, who accomplished this historical feat.
There’s also a bridge here, where Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) gets injured during a shooting. Indeed, Sholay’s Ramgarh was the work of a lover and a magician. The magicians of Ramgarh were the film’s art director, Ram Yedekar, and the lovers were the director, Ramesh Sippy, and the producer, G.P. Sippy, who were in love with cinema. They were driven by the passion to do something different. To make a film on that canvas in India that is usually seen abroad.
How was the location of Ramgarh found?
Ramesh Sippy, in a conversation, said regarding the cinematic Ramgarh, “Earlier, the shooting of dacoit films mostly took place in and around Chambal. If you see films like Ganga Jamuna, Mujhe Jeene Do, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, it seems so. These are all films made before Sholay. After seeing the same location repeatedly in these films, we decided to do something new. We thought, ‘Wouldn’t dacoits be outside of Chambal?'”
A discussion took place between Ramesh Sippy and art director Ram Yedekar regarding the search for Sholay’s location. Ramesh Sippy asked him to find a unique location that resembled Western cinema locations and was not like the world of dacoits shown in Hindi films. Ram Yedekar said he knew of such a place. After that, he went to Bengaluru. From there, he went about 70-80 kilometers away to Ramnagar, where he extensively photographed the location.
Ramnagar is now famous as Ramgarh
Director Ramesh Sippy further explained, “He photographed almost half of Ramnagar and spread the prints on the table in front of us. I was stunned to see the open location in those pictures. We got the desired location within the country. After that, he and his team took full responsibility for establishing Ramgarh. They created a village that has become an example today. Ramnagar, Karnataka, has become famous as Sholay’s Ramgarh. It has become a film tourism destination.”
What are the big things about Ramgarh village?
Now, let’s consider some of the big things about Sholay’s Ramgarh village that make it so unique. Such a village is still very difficult to find in India. While watching the film Sholay, keep a close eye on Ramgarh’s location. There is a Thakur in the village, but there is no Thakur’s well. There is a water tank here. This tank quenches the thirst of the entire village. That means there is no untouchability here. It is on this tank that Veeru (Dharmendra) climbs and performs antics while drunk – this story has emotion, drama, etc. In other words, the water tank is no less than Majnu’s mound – a love point in the village.
In 1975, a water tank in an Indian village seemed no less than a high tower of development. However, Ramgarh has no trace of electricity; neither wires are visible, nor poles, nor transformers. Because Radha, Thakur’s younger daughter-in-law (Jaya Bachchan), is repeatedly seen extinguishing the lamp after dark. And on the other hand, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) is seen playing the mouth organ on the veranda of the guesthouse visible from her balcony. A unique relationship of light and music emerges. The entire scene is filled with emotion. One feels a sense of possibility in it.
A village free from untouchability, a village of brotherhood
Sholay’s Ramgarh is not only free from social untouchability, but also shows a lot of brotherhood. Here, everyone’s hearts blossom on the day of Holi, and even enemies embrace each other. There is a Shiva temple on one side and a mosque on the other. Basanti (Hema Malini) goes to the Shiva temple with a puja thali. And her lover, Veeru (Dharmendra), hides behind the temple and jokes with her. When the elderly Imam Saheb (A.K. Hangal) descends the stairs of the mosque, Basanti holds his hand. Because Imam Saheb cannot see, he walks leaning on a stick.
It is the same Rahim Chacha Imam Saheb whose son Ahmed (Sachin Pilgaonkar) is killed by Gabbar Singh, and standing near his funeral, he says in sorrow and anger, “Aaj puchunga Khuda se, mere do-teen aur bete kyun nahi hue jo is gaon ke kaam aate.” (Today, I will ask God, why didn’t I have two-three more sons who could have been of service to this village). Two of his dialogues in Sholay became quite famous compared to Gabbar and Thakur. He had said, “You know what the biggest burden in the world is, a son’s funeral on his father’s shoulders.” He taught the villagers, “Jillat ki zindagi se kahin behtar izzat ki maut.” (A death of honor is far better than a life of disgrace). After this, the people of Ramgarh allow Jai and Veeru to stay in the village.
Basanti: A symbol of empowerment and self-reliance
There is a beautiful, single girl, Basanti, in the village. She drives a tonga with the horse Dhanno and her aunt for her livelihood. She brings passengers from the railway station to the surrounding villages every day. Gabbar Singh’s fear prevails in the villages fifty-fifty kos away in the entire area. Even a child quiets down at the name of Gabbar Singh, but Basanti drives the tonga fearlessly. Indeed, Basanti seems to be a symbol of women’s empowerment in that village. Talking to Veeru, she says, “Dhanno, being a horse, can pull the tonga, so why can’t Basanti, being a girl, drive the tonga?” In this way, she becomes not only a symbol of women’s empowerment but also of self-reliance.
In this way, Ramgarh becomes like a mini-India. All kinds of business and employment are visible here. Whereas this village was established fifty years ago. Here, everyone lived together and developed together. Chalo re saath, chalo saheli (Let’s go together, let’s go, friends) singing, they celebrate each other’s festivals. A happy village free from untouchability and full of brotherhood is an ideal in the country today.
