It was August, 15, 1975, when Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay was released in Minerva, the Pride of Maharashtra, in Grant Road. We were 13, when Jaswinder Sawney (a school mate) and I, “snuck” into the auditorium —  Jaswinder’s dad being the theatre manager.

We couldn’t catch the “first day first show” being a school day, so the 5.30 pm show on Sunday was. As the crowds poured out into the street, there was a stunned “paisa vasoolness” that would guarantee repeated viewings. The hand-drawn poster that ran across the front face of the theatre, had Jai, Veeru, Basanti, Thakur, Radha, and Gabbar staring out at us. 

If the poster had wound its way round the back of Minerva, the Sippys would have had Soorma Bhopali, the Jail Warden, Kaalia, Sambha, Mausie, Rahim Chacha, and Dhanno the horse on it. Armed with our greasy samosas, we climbed up the stairs to the first floor, we were virtually stampeded as audiences sped towards their seats, desperate not to miss a single word of dialogue, not a moment of screen time.