After the release of ‘Angry Young Men’, the documentary series based on the work and lives of screenwriting duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, Salman Khan expressed a desire to remake the 1975 blockbuster ‘Sholay’. In a conversation with filmmaker Farah Khan, Salman said that he’d like to remake ‘Sholay’ and quipped that he could play both Amitabh Bachchan’s Jai and Dharmendra’s Veeru.
When Farah asked Salman, “If you had to remake any of Salim-Javed’s films?” Salman responded, “I’d make ‘Sholay’ and ‘Deewar’.” Reacting to his answer, Farah further asked: “You’d be Jai or Veeru? The speakers at the round table - Zoya Akhtar, Namrata Rao and others unanimously said, “He is Veeru,” and Javed agreed. But Salman quipped, “Also Jai, I can play both. Gabbar also.”
Salim Khan then revealed how all the male stars in ‘Sholay’ wanted to play Gabbar’s role. ‘Sholay’ initially starred Danny Denzongpa as Gabbar, but later on, Amjad Khan was brought in to play the antagonist.