| Gabbar Singh | |
|---|---|
| Sholay character | |
.jpg) Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh inSholay | |
| First appearance | Sholay (1975) |
| Last appearance | Ramgarh Ke Sholay (1991) |
| Created by | Salim-Javed (Salim Khan andJaved Akhtar) |
| Based on | Gabbar Singh Gujjar |
| Portrayed by | Amjad Khan |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Sardar |
| Occupation | Dacoit |
| Relatives | Hari Singh (father) |
| Nationality | Indian |
Gabbar Singh is afictional character and theantagonist of the 1975Bollywood filmSholay. It was written by the duoSalim–Javed, consisting ofSalim Khan andJaved Akhtar. Played byAmjad Khan, he is depicted inSholay as adacoit with anevil laugh much like "El Indio", the robber, from theWestern filmFor a Few Dollars More, 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.[1][2][3] The character is considered to be one of the most iconic villains in Indian cinema.[4] He was featured in the 1991 spoofRamgarh Ke Sholay, with Khan portraying a parody version of the character.[5]
Gabbar Singh was modelled onGabbar Singh Gujjar, a dacoit who had menaced the villages aroundGwalior in the 1950s. Any policeman captured by Gujjar had his ears, and nose cut off, and was released as a warning to other policemen.[6][7] The fictional Gabbar Singh was also inspired by larger-than-life characters in Pakistani authorIbn-e-Safi'sUrdu novels.[8] Sippy wanted to avoid the clichéd idea of a man becoming a dacoit due to societal issues, as was the case in other Indian films, and focused on Gabbar being an emblem of pure evil. To emphasise the point of Gabbar being a new type of villain, Sippy avoided the typical tropes of dacoits wearingdhotis andpagris and sporting aTika and worshipping "Ma Bhavani"; Gabbar would be wearing army fatigues.[9]
Danny Denzongpa was the first choice of Gabbar but had to miss out because he was shooting forDharmatma inAfghanistan.[10]Amjad Khan was almost dropped from the project becauseJaved Akhtar found his voice too weak for Gabbar Singh's role but was later convinced. For his preparation for the role Amjad readAbhishapth Chambal, a book on Chambal dacoits written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri (actress Jaya Bhaduri's father).[11]Sanjeev Kumar also wanted to play the role of Gabbar Singh, but Salim-Javed "felt he had the audience's sympathy through roles he'd done before; Gabbar had to be completely hateful."[12]
Javed Akhtar said Gabbar "seemed to acquire life and vocabulary of his own" as he wrote the film. His sadism lies in his choice of words like "Khurach, khurach" (scratch) when he talks to Basanti (Hema Malini).[2] Gabbar's style of speech was a mix ofKhariboli andAwadhi, inspired byDilip Kumar's dacoit character Gunga from the 1961 filmGunga Jumna.[13]
Amjad shot to stardom with the film. His mannerisms and dialogues have become an integral part of Bollywood lexicon.[14]Sholay went on to become a blockbuster, and is the highest-grossing movie in India. Although the film 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 opposite to the total lack of empathy his character was supposed to convey. Even after four decades, people fondly remember his dialogues and mannerisms.[15] He later appeared in advertisements as Gabbar Singh endorsingBritannia 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 for the 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[16][17] because the dialogues are very popular among the audiences of Indian cinema.[18]
TheBBC have compared the impact of Gabbar Singh on Bollywood to the impact thatDarth Vader later had on Hollywood. According toAnupama Chopra, "He's like Darth Vader inStar Wars, pure evil, utterly terrifying and a cool baddie".[19]
In 2011, Amitabh Bachchan told a contestant on hisKaun Banega Crorepati TV show that when Amjad Khan visited their home, his sonAbhishek Bachchan ran to him and said "Papa, Gabbar Singh aaya hai" (transl. Father, Gabbar Singh is here!), and Bachchan had to convince his son that Gabbar was just a character played by Khan.[20]
Gabbar Singh has been a subject of parodies and jokes innumerable times in the popular Indian media.[21][22]Filmfare named Gabbar Singh the most iconic villain in the history of Indian cinema,[23]
InJai Hind (1994) comedianSenthil says "Arre O Sambha" while appearing as a dacoit.[24]
In the 2012 filmGabbar Singh, the character has been referenced by protagonist Venkataratnam Naidu (played byTelugu actorPawan Kalyan), nicknaming himself after Gabbar Singh's character. Constable Ram Prasad (Ali) is nicknamed 'Samba' after Gabbar Singh's sidekick. In the sequelSardaar Gabbar Singh (2016 film), Pawan reprises his role, albeit with 'Sardaar' in front of his name, referring to the title given by Gabbar Singh's henchmen. Both Telugu films contain dialogues made famous by Sholay's antagonist, e.g.,"Joh darr gaya... samjho marr gaya" (transl. Whoever is afraid... consider them dead).
In the 2015 filmGabbar is Back, the protagonist Aditya Singh Rajput (portrayed byAkshay Kumar) resembles Gabbar Singh and he also nicknamed himself after Gabbar's character.[25]
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