The Sholay DVD everyone should buy!

(picked this off a forum)

Sholay 1975

Staring: Dharmendra, Amithabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan
Director: Ramesh Sippy
Producer: G. P. Sippy

Music: R. D. Burman
Running time: 198 minutes (DEI/Eros), 204 (Eros/B4U)
Format: NTSC
Video: 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen (DEI/Eros), 4:3 full screen (Eros/B4U)
Sound: Hindi Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English
Year: 1975 (cinema), 1999 (DVD)
DVD: Single sided dual layered
DVD Author: Digital Entertainment Inc (DEI/Eros), Dot Media (Eros/B4U)
DVD Release by: Eros International

Sholay was one of the first Indian films that made use of several cinematic innovations at the time such as 70mm format and multi track stereophonic sound. Originally Sholay was filmed at a 4:3 aspect ratio but was released for the cinema in a matted 2.35:1 aspect ratio on 70mm film format. Also the film was shot with two different endings. Due to certain pressures from Indian film censors and media the director’s cut of the film remained behind closed doors for many years until it re-surfaced as an extended version. This version was re-cut by Ramesh Sippy and showed the original intended ending – which would act as a major spoiler for those not seen Sholay before, if I revealed it here! So hence two versions of Sholay exist; the original theatrical version, which runs for 188 minutes and the extended director’s cut which is 204 minutes long. And both are available on DVD.

The first release of Sholay on DVD was an effort by DEI/Eros, which used the wide screen 70mm version of the film. It was later released under the Eros/B4U tag, which was the director’s version of the film but also presented it as originally shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Video DEI/Eros

Of the two available DVDs the video on this version is better in terms of picture clarity and sharpness but its not all high-quality stuff. Presented at a zoomed 1.85:1 aspect ratio from the original 2.35:1 matted version of Sholay you can tell from the screen shots below exactly how much of the picture is missing compared to the full frame version of Sholay.