A
Curry Western is the Indian film industry'
s (known colloquially as Bollywood) version of a spaghetti western which features the protagonist(s) and villian(s). The similarities between the traditional spaghetti western and the
curry western is that either the protagonist(s) or the villian(s) will be daciots/bandits/robbers. The difference between the two would be the use of traditional film making rules in a curry western which features in all Indian films and that is
music, there will be a minimum of
one or two of either a sad song or a happier/livelier song or a combination of both.
Sholay (1975) is the most famous curry western in Bollywood. Widely hailed as one of the best movies to be ever made in Bollywood, it tells the tale of three men, Veeru (played by Dharmendra), Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) and
Jai (Amitabh Bachan) who join forces to catch an ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh (played by Ajmad Khan).
Box Office Information (as obtained by
Wikipedia):
Sholay was released on 15
August 1975 in Mumbai. On 11
October 1975, the film was released in several other Indian film distribution districts. It earned Rs.
1,62,41,00,000 equivalent to US$
88 million, after adjusting for inflation and remains the highest grossing movie of all-time in the
history of Indian Cinema.
At Mumbai'
s Minerva theater, it was shown in regular shows for three continuous years, and then in matinee shows for two more years. Even in 240th week of its release, Sholay was packing the theaters. Sholay grossed about 35 crore rupees in its first run, a record that remained unbroken for the next nineteen years. Sholay ran for more than five years.
