DNA's Sarita Tanwar Reviews Sholay 3D

Film review: 'Sholay' 3D - The epic adventure is back, rush to the screens now!

Film: Sholay
Rating: *****
Directed: Ramesh Sippy
Starring: Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini,
Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan

When Sholay first hit the screens in 1975, it was pegged as the greatest story ever
told and  the greatest star cast ever assembled. 39 years later, nothing has changed.
A film, that’s quite easily the most influential movie-going experience of our times,
does not need a review. So let’s just stick to an update only for the enjoyment of
reliving the adventure.

The legendary story of Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) who hires two small-time
crooks, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) to fight the might of Gabbar
Singh (Amjad Khan) is back – and this time,  in 3D. For those who didn’t get the chance
to watch this epic drama when it was first released in 70mm and  stereophonic sound,
now is the time. That’s because no amount of DVDs and Blu Rays can ever do justice
 to the magnificence and the opulence of Sholay on the big screen. Plus, the novelty of
watching it in 3D brings  a different flavour to all those unforgettable scenes, dialogues
and characters that will be etched in our memories forever.

Be prepared for the ride of your lives – it’s time to rejoice the everlasting dosti between
Jai and Veeru; the hysterical antics of Basanti (Hema Malini); the silent love of Radha
(Jaya Bhaduri); the emotional resilience of Thakur and the awe-inspiring aura of Gabbar.
Not to mention the varied other characters in the movie that became  an integral part of
film history – Sambha (Macmohan), Soorma Bhopali (Jagdeep), Jailor (Asrani), Kaaliya
(Viju  Khote) and many others.

The 3D conversion could’ve been more polished for a film of this stature. Still, the effect
is spellbinding. The train sequence (still the best train sequence ever shot in Hindi cinema)
is the highlight – new effects have been added to enhance the 3D element. With a length
of over 3 hours, the 3D gets tiresome in parts but the sheer grandeur of the film keeps
you going. The songs and background score have been re-created by Raju Singh and
that’s a huge plus in the new version. Without losing the essence of the original, Singh
delivers a spectacular punch. Technically, Sholay 3D is par excellence – it’s great to see
a crystal-clear, polished version of your favourite film in a new avatar.

Sholay is also a prominent film because of the people associated with it. Director
Ramesh Sippy is remembered to date, for this offering, which remains unparalleled
even in his career. Salim-Javed, the greatest writer duo India has known, consider it one
of their finest works. RD Burman’s music, Dwarka Divecha’s cinematography,
MS Shinde’s editing and Ram Yedekar’s production design continue to remain a class
apart.

India’s epic adventure is back – rush to the screens now!

Watch the trailer: 

Dear Sarita,
We are grateful for this generous review. Thankyou for recognizing the technical 
team's hard work. We are glad you loved our movie.
Sincerely,
Team Sholay 3D

Sneak Peek into the music of Sholay 3-D - Sound Box

 

Buzz

Sneak Peek into the music of Sholay 3-D

by Swagata Panjari (December 23, 2013)

Sholay is a landmark film, but would you watch the 3-D version? With impeccable composing, sound mixing and designing by Raju Singh Panesar, Kunal Mehta and Parikshit Lalwan, the Dolby Atmos effects had made a huge difference to the soundscape. Sound Box gets a sneak peek into the making of this mammoth project to watch out for

When Sholay was being re-made in 3-D, it aroused many emotions among its fans, the media and the film/music industry alike. There were doubts, cynicism, opposition and also proposition to do it in a certain fashion. Some did not approve the idea and were repelled by the very thought, “Arre it is Sholay! How dare anyone remake it?” But now that the deed has been done, the question is to see how this offering is different.

The Magical Burman

Burman da’s genius is evident through Sholay. Recorded in the 1970s with limited resources, compositions such as Mehbooba Mehbooba and Yeh Dosti continue to mesmerise music composers and aficionados alike. While it is a challenge in itself to remake the original songs, the complexities are now audible and rather heightened. The music directors Raju Singh Panesar, Kunal Mehta and Parikshit Lalwan have doctored the original soundscape with the help of Dolby Atmos 7.1. One can now catch every sound easily — from shattering of glass in the track Jab Tak Hai Jaan, to the whistling of the steam engine in the first half of the film.

On a Musical Quest

Imitating styles and mannerisms is always a task; and when the project demands exact replication of someone as legendary as RD Burman, the stake rises music higher. One has to pick a composer who can do justice to the project, by bringing freshness yet keeping the essence of the movie intact.

Stating that choosing a music composer was not an easy job, the film distributor and presenter Jayantilal Gada Chairman of Pen India mentions, “We had a qualification test to have best music director, and asked composers to send a sample of their work. Some denied sending the samples, while we didn’t like the work of some others. We decided to offers the project to Raju Singh Panesar after going through his portfolio.”

Though Panesar had an opportunity to work with Burman da earlier, refining the soundtrack of Sholay was still the most challenging task. “Sholay is not just known for its screenplay but also for its music. We had to be careful as everyone remembers the film. We did not want to mess with the authenticity of the film, and neither of the producers wanted to edit the film. Receiving a project that not only deals with recomposing the music, but the whole film was the most exciting yet challenging job,” shares Panesar. The director’s work and credibility was also vouched for and recommended by the writer of Sholay, Javed Aktar. “Kunal and Parikshit were approached first, and I am grateful that Javedji recommended me for the project. After that, the producers asked us to work on the train sequence of the film to see what we can do. We took 20 days to submit the sample edit,” says Panesar.

Replicating the Soundscape

There was a time when audio cassettes of Sholay were played in every nook and corner of the country, to such an extent that people knew each dialogue, scene-by-scene by heart. Even when Dolby launched their format, the Atmos, a sound designer apparently asked, “If weare watching Sholay then how will the coin toss sound?” That makes Sholay a landmark reference in its own right.

Mehta reveals that they only had the main print and not the separate dialogue and music tracks to work on. The sound designers filtered the dialogues before working on the music track, without employing any new dubs and that took almost eight months. Produced 36 years ago, the mixing style of the film was also very different. The dialogue track had music as well, but one cannot hear it as the film was produced with four stereos. As 3-D conversion added finesse, eliminating dialogue track music was not an easy job for them. They couldn’t eliminate everything from the dialogue, and instead had to camouflage some portions. The producers had to restore the negative film first and upgrade it to HD (high definition), and then go into the conversion process, to rework the sound

Lalwan reveals, “At times, the tracks were so meticulously placed that it was difficult to figure whether the dialogue has music or not. How will you know if there is music behind the dialogue? We had to hear each frame repeatedly and if there was sound, we had to

insert, shift, play, and detune the music, as we cannot do much. Sometimes, we pitched the dialogue too. It took almost a year to finish the design, so that people don’t feel it is all mixed. ” India’s first female re-recording mixing engineer Geeta Gurappa from Media artists, Chennai has mixed the film.

Amplification of sound due to Dolby Atmos 7.1 mix and stereoscopic sound was another added concern for the trio. “Earlier, the sound was audible only through the side speaker. But now, high end technology has added height to the sound; one can hear the music from the top as well,” Mehta points out.

For a composer, it is always grueling to work on a defined sound palette as it limits their creativity. It is even more challenging when one has to work on a decade old cult, classic sound and replicate the work of a legend. In order to retain similarity, Panesar had to record everything on a keyboard and mark each portion. The task took two months. It was only then that he replaced the acoustic and checked what was played, which instruments were used. “We sketched the procedure by working on 10 to 20 seconds of a section, and then rewinded to see if it was seamless. We had to recompose some portions, as the music wasn’t audible in some sections. We have no new dubs; the music and effects are exactly the same,” Panesar says.

Rewinding To An Era

It was also a task for the trio to recreate sounds of that particular era such as that of guns and steam engines.

So, how did they generate the sounds that were no longer in use?

“In the track song Mehbooba, Burman da had used a customized instrument; the sound of the same instrument was also used for Gabbar’s theme. We tried to replicate it on electronic, but couldn’t, so we found the person who made the instrument. Unfortunately, he passed away, so we got in touch with his son and thankfully he it. That’s how we replicated the sound,” divulges Lalwan. He further adds, “Also, we have kept the voice on centre track and got musicians to play with it. The crystal wasn’t there in old times everything was handheld, so the tempo was very random. We created surround sound with the help of live musicians. The violinists who played were the children of the violinists of the original film.”

Sholay is dear to everyone, and working on the movie not only motivated the composer or designers but the whole crew. Giving an instance on how their foley guy actually bled for obtaining the exact sound, Panesar shares, “The people in the industry are quite emotional when it comes to Sholay. For the track Jab Tak Hai Jaan Main Nachungi, the foley guy took off his shoes for the acquiring the sound of crushing of glass, as we could not get the proper sound when he was dancing with his shoes on.”

Financial Engagement

To re-introduce the 70s classic film Sholay in a 3-D format, producer Jyantilal Gada has invested approximately Rs 25 crore in the project. Stating that they wanted to provide viewers the best experience, Gada says, “Sholay is a cult classic and popular among Indians. The Indian public loves the movie, and we didn’t want to fall short of the audience’s expectations. While remaking the movie, we made sure that we would bring out a fine product. We didn’t want to compromise on any element. We employed the best technology at high cost for the same.” Since Sholay is widely known for its music and background score, Gada further stated that he has invested approximately one crore in remaking the music of the film.

 Link - http://www.soundbox.co.in/sneak-peak-into-the-music-of-sholay-3-d/2/

Creative Sound Design

Kunal Mehta

Kunal and Parikshit are nothing short of demi-gods in the sound industry. The awesome twosome have conceptualized and designed sound for hundreds of movies in multiple Indian languages. The boys really know how to add boom to block-busters as evidenced in their latest outing Goliyon Ki Raas Leela Ram Leela.

The two are also virtually inseparable. They always work together, a strategy that has worked well for the talented duo.

Explains Parikshit, "We work in sync with each other. There are things Kunal can handle better and there are some things I can handle more deftly."

Adds Kunal, "Sholay was a test of our talent and it was only because we stuck together and constantly encouraged each other that we were able to take on such a huge challenge."

The duo had near-insurmountable odds against them with the original unmixed version of the movie having gone up in flames in a freak accident in London two years ago. Plus there were challenges in recreating the sound of many things that are no longer in existence.

Parikshit Lalvani

Parikshit elaborates, "We don't have steam engines today and we had to create the sound associated with the puffing out of the smoke, the chugging of the engine and the clatter and clang of the wheels on the track from the scratch!"

"Sometimes, we would spend days together in our Chennai studio. Feel happy at the end product. Then hear it after a while and realize it is not working and then spend a few more days re-doing everything", shares Kunal.

The product of their efforts is Sholay 3D which is being released in Dolby Atmos on Jan 3, 2014. When you watch the movie, remember, there are the boys behind the Sound of Sholay 3D.

Sholay Begins

Spiderman said, "With great power comes great responsibility." We vividly remember the day when we were given the great responsibility of designing and engineering the entire sound of Sholay. The 1975 cult classic was to be re-leased in 3D and the producers saw merit in making it sound contemporary... and they chose us for the job!

This was an honour reserved for Gods. We felt powerful. We also knew, that should we fail, all our past successes would come to a naught. Raju Singh, Parikshit Lalvani and Kunal Mehta would go down in history as the boys who messed up Sholay! That is a thought that manifests itself in ulcers, migraines and nightmares. 

As we looked at each other, we saw fear... a very real fear... a very contagious fear that leaped from one set of eyes into another and made its way into each of our hearts with a certainty that we felt run down our spines... You see, Sholay is not a movie... it is a religion, an emotion... a way of life. Sholay was a story we grew up with, the way we grew up reading our religious texts. Jai, Veeru, Basanti were a part of our smiles, while grandmothers put many of us to sleep saying, "So ja, varna Gabbar Singh aa jayega..."

But it wasn't just Thakur or Soorma Bhopali or Sambha... Even Sound was a character in Sholay. Every little sound from the gun shots, to the chugging of the train's engine in the beginning, to the unforgettable coin toss... said something profound. Even silence spoke in the moments before Rahim Chacha asked, "Itna sannata kyon hai bhai?"... Viewers felt Basanti's pain as they heard her dainty bare feet crush glass as she danced over broken bottles... And then there was the haunting emptiness when a young Thakur returns to find his family dead... with a swing swaying, sounding like a young child's mournful wail...

Our task was to recreate it all... from the scratch!

Stay tuned for our blog posts as we share our trials, tribulations and triumphs with you. Stay tuned for... The Sound of Sholay...