Neither Jai-Viru, nor Gabbar, this is the most famous character of ‘Sholay’, only 3 times

There are some characters in Indian cinema that may have come with very little screen time or dialogues, but still leave an indelible mark in the hearts of the audience. One such character was the 1975 Cultic classic film ‘Sholay’, which people have not forgotten even after years. This character was seen only three times in the film, but still became the favorite and most famous character of the people. If you are thinking that this character is Jai-Viru, Gabbar, Basanti or Thakur, then you are wrong, because the character who gained the most popularity was the role of an assistant villain. With his silence and dialogue of only three words, this character became immortal. Yes, we are talking about ‘Sambha’, which was played by the late actor Mac Mohan.

Mac Mohan’s just glimpse in the film

While Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) was the face of terror in ‘Sholay’, Sambha standing shoulder to shoulder looks like a silent companion. He barely spoke three words in the film, ‘whole fifty thousand’, but the echo of these words is still heard in the pop culture of Bollywood. Interestingly, his name was taken only three times in the film and the dialogue was also counted, yet the audience remembers him like the main characters like Veeru, Jai, Basanti and Thakur.

Mac Mohan.

Mac Mohan’s journey

Mac Mohan’s real name was Mohan Makhijani. He was born in Karachi (British India of that time) in 1938 and came to India after partition. Interest in acting took him to the theater and then stepped into films. He acted in about 200 films in his career, most of which he played an assistant or negative character. Although his role in ‘Sholay’ was extremely small, the identity he made as Sambha is still fresh in people’s memories. In films like ‘Don’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Shaan’, ‘Satte Pe Power’, and ‘Karj’, he shared the screen with veteran artists like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha.

An actor who spoke not by dialogues, but

Mac Mohan’s greatest strength was his screen presence. His characters had a special style, mystery and depth. He used to say a lot even after being silent. This is the reason why the audience notices and liked him every time. He died of lung cancer in 2010, but even today cinema lover and filmmakers consider him an iconic pop culture figure. Both her daughters Vinati and Manjari are now associated with the film industry, often emotional remembering her life and her dedication to acting. Both are film makers, whose danka is also in Hollywood.

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