| Gabbar Singh | |
|---|---|
Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh in Sholay. |
|
| Created by | Salim Khan Javed Akhtar |
| Portrayed by | Amjad Khan |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Dacoit |
| Title | Sardar |
| Nationality | Indian |
Gabbar Singh (Hindi: गब्बर सिंह, Urdu: سنگھ گبّر ) is a fictional character and the antagonist in the 1975 Indian movie Sholay[1] written by Salim-Javed and also later featured in the spoof Ramgarh Ke Sholay.[2] He is shown in the movie (Sholay)as a dacoit who leads a group in looting and plundering the villages in the region of Ramgarh. He has a sadistic personality and insists on killing whenever required to continue his status and to take revenge on his enemies.[3][4][5] The character of Gabbar is one of the most popular in Indian films.[6] [7]
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Danny Denzongpa was the first choice of Gabbar but had to miss out because he was shooting for Dharmatma in Afghanistan.[2] Amjad Khan was almost dropped from the project because Javed Akhtar found his voice too weak for Gabbar Singh's role but was later convinced.For his preparation for the role Amjad read Abhishapth Chambal, a book on Chambal dacoits written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri (actress Jaya Bhaduri's father).[8]
Gabbar's language was a mixture of North Indian khadi boli and Hindi, which was something new for the audiences so the Dialogs were an instant hit and are still popular in India. Javed Akhtar says that Gabbar seemed to acquire life and vocabulary of his own ashe wrote the film. "His sadism lies in his choice of words like khurach,khurach (scratch) when he talks to Hema Malini.[9]
Amjad shot to stardom with the movie. His portrayal of Gabbar Singh is considered by many to be the first depiction of pure evil on the screen in Indian Cinema; a totally evil character who doesn't make excuses for its evil. His mannerisms and dialogues have become an integral part of Bollywood lexicon.[10] Sholay went on to become a blockbuster, and, as of yet, it is one of the highest grossing movie in India. Although the movie boasted an ensemble cast of superstars including Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, he stole the thunder with his unorthodox and eerie dialogue delivery that was perfectly apposite to the total lack of empathy his character was supposed to convey. Even after thirty five years people fondly remember his dialogues and mannerisms.[11] He later appeared in advertisements as Gabbar Singh endorsing Britannia Glucose Biscuits (Popularly knowns as "Gabbar Ki Asli Pasand"), and it was the first incidence of a villain being used to sell a popular product. The role of Gabbar singh was so deep-rooted in people's mind those days that Amjad Khan was known rest of his life by this role alone and wherever he went he had to speak some dialogues from the film to amuse the public.[12][13] Later in the year 2011, Amitabh Bachchan in his popular TV Show told a contestant that when Amjad Khan,a close friend of bachchan, visited his home his son abhishek ran to him and said papa, Gabbar singh aaya hai [meaning: Gabbar singh is here !!!] and Amitabh convinced his son that Gabbar was just a character played by him.[14] The dialogues of him are popular among the audiences of indian cinema.[15]
Gabbar singh has been a subject of Parodies, jokes innumerable times in the popular Indian media[16][17][16]
Gabbar Singh (character) at the Internet Movie Database