The 1975 Indian film landmark “Sholay” will have its world premiere “Film in Concert” at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 10th, with RD Burman’s score performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Melvin Tay.
Sippy Films and esk will produce the event.
The screening will feature Sholay: The Final Cut, a recently restored 4K version of Ramesh Sippy’s film, which restored footage cut by India’s Censor Board in 1975. The print will be projected in Hindi with English subtitles on a huge HD screen in the hall’s auditorium. According to Sippy Films, the restored version will only be released in theaters for a limited time.
“We are really excited to partner with esk to bring Sholay to audiences in this innovative format,” said Shehzad Sippy, Managing Director, Sippy Films. “The screening will feature ‘Sholay: The Final Cut,’ a recently restored 4K version of the film that includes the original cut banned by India’s Censor Board in 1975.”
The film revolves around two petty criminals, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra), who are hired by Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), a retired disabled police officer, to capture Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), a thief who has massacred his family.
Matt Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “‘Sholay’ is an undisputed Bollywood classic with an impeccable score, so it’s incredibly exciting to be hosting the world premiere of ‘Film in Concert’ here at the Hall.”
Sholay has consistently ranked highly in critical reviews of Indian films, being named the ‘Film of the Millennium’ by BBC India in 1999, in the British Film Institute’s Top 10 Indian Films of All Time in 2002, and ranked #1 on Time Out’s ‘100 Best Bollywood Movies’ list in 2023.
“We are thrilled to be working with Sippy Films to bring a restored 4K version of Sholay: The Final Cut to audiences in this immersive way for the first time,” said Samuel Weatherstone, co-founder and CEO of esk.
The event follows last year’s ‘RRR in Concert’ at the hall which featured Ram Charan, NTR, director SS Rajamouli and composer MM Keeravani. Other upcoming “Films in Concert” events to be held at the venue include commemorative screenings of “La La Land,” “Casino Royale,” “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” “Blasted Off” and “Matilda.”
