Sholay, one of the most iconic Bollywood films, will complete its golden jubilee on August 15 this year. The Ramesh Sippy directorial, featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in the lead, premiered in 1975. Amjad Khan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar also played iconic characters in the cult movie that redefined Indian cinema with its gripping storyline, impeccable acting and unforgettable dialogues that have remained a part of pop culture even decades later. As Sholay inches towards its 50th anniversary, dairy brand Amul has joined the celebratory fervour a bit early.
On Monday, August 12, Amul, known for its creative and relatable topicals, rolled out yet another delightful illustration marking Sholay's significant milestone. The picture showcased an iconic scene from the film featuring Amitabh Bachchan's Jai and Dharmendra's Veeru. If you remember, the duo's ride-or-die friendship was one of the highlights of the movie. It was depicted beautifully in the YehDosti song, sung by the legendary Kishore Kumar and composed by Manna Dey. In that sequence, Jai and Veeru ride a motorcycle, showcasing their unbreakable bond.
Amul was spot-on in capturing the sentiment using a similar motorcycle visual. It showed an animated image of Amitabh Bachchan riding the bike, while Dharmendra, sitting behind him, held a half-eaten butter-smeared toasted bread in one hand and another slice of bread in the other. The text layout, blending humour with wordplay, read, “Poore Pachaas Saal (A full fifty years). Amul Blockbuster.”
The caption said, “Amul Topical: Celebrating the Golden Jubilee year of the mass entertainer, Sholay.”
Previously, Amul charmed audiences by paying tribute to director Sean Baker's romantic comedy Anora. The film dominated the 97th Academy Awards with an impressive five wins. The topical showed the movie's lead cast, Mikey Madison, sharing the stage with the director and holding their golden Oscar statuettes. The tagline “The Ultimate Honora!" was Amul's playful twist on the word ‘honour' and the film's title. Meanwhile, the pun-intended image text, which read, “Bakers Love It,” was a nod to Sean Baker and the brand itself. Check out the creative topical here.