Why Danny said NO to Gabbar Singh

'If I had done Sholay, we would have missed seeing the performance of a wonderful actor called Amjad Khan.'

IMAGE: Danny Denzongpa with Director Ramesh Sippy, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Producer G P Sippy, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. Photograph: Kind courtesy Film History Pics/Twitter

Everyone knows that Danny Denzongpa was the first choice to play Gabbar Singh in Ramesh Sippy's Sholay.

But why didn't he?

"It was because of a prior commitment that I had to let go of Sholay. I had signed Feroz Khan's Dharmatma and the dates were given to Ferozbhai," Danny explains to Subhash K Jha.

"I knew the Gabbar character was fabulous, but my conscience guided me to take the right decision."

Danny doesn't regret losing out on Gabbar.

"If I had done Sholay, we would have missed seeing the performance of a wonderful actor called Amjad Khan."

One recalls the great Pran saying no to Manoj Kumar's Shor as he was already playing a Pathan in Zanjeer at that time.

"Pran uncle was keen not to repeat himself," Danny says.

"After being typecast as a villain, he produced two movies directed by his son Tony Sikand. They had me playing the bad guy and he played positive characters."

IMAGE: Danny Denzongpa in Mere Apne.

Danny says he has always been selective.

"My colleagues, who came in with me, have done 600-700 films. My average remains three films per year. From the start, I had decided not to do too many films simply because I find it very difficult to shoot during the summer in Mumbai. There are many reasons why I say no to a role," he says.

Danny remembers how difficult it was for him to get roles initially because of his looks.

"I couldn't get any films, so I went back to FTII, Pune, where my teacher Roshan Taneja got me a job as an acting instructor. I used to help newcomers with acting tips all week. On Fridays, I used to come to Mumbai, looking for acting assignments. Then I would go back to Pune on Sunday. This went on for almost three years."

IMAGE: Danny Denzongpa, Sanjay Khan and Zeenat Aman in Dhund.

How did the first acting offers come his way?

"I started my career with a bit role in Gulzar's Mere Apne," he says.

"Then I got the second lead in B R Ishaara's Zaroorat. It was my third film, B R Chopra's Dhund, which established my acting career. I had a fantastic role in that film."

"I feel I've always had to choose from a limited range of roles. Writers and directors are struck with a particular image of mine. I sometimes do roles that I'm not fully convinced about because of many factors."

IMAGE: Danny Denzongpa in Agneepath.

Which of his films is his the proudest of?

"I did a Bengali film called Lal Kothi. The story and screenplay were written by me, though I didn't take any credit," he replies.

"Then I love my role in another film called Bandhu (1992). That film was later turned into a television serial called Ajnabee.

"I also liked my roles in H S Rawail's Laila Majnu, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942: A Love Story and Raj Kumar Santoshi's Ghatak.

"But the one film I am really fond of is Shivaji Chandrabhushan's Frozen. I loved shooting that movie in Ladakh. We shot at minus-30 degrees in February. It won many international awards.

"Then, there was, of course, Mukul Anand's Agneepath. I fitted the character of Kancha Cheena. But Agneepath was not a box office success when it was released."