India, Aug. 18 -- As Sholay marked its golden jubilee on August 15, filmmaker Ramesh Sippy reflected on the making of the timeless classic. In a conversation with Zoom, he opened up about being questioned for casting Jaya Bachchan in what many considered a "wasted role" and explained why her silent yet powerful performance became one of the film's strongest elements.

In Sholay, Jaya Bachchan played Radha, the widowed daughter-in-law of Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) and love interest of Jai (Amitabh Bachchan). Speaking about the casting, Ramesh said, "A lot of people asked me, 'Why are you working with Jaya Bachchan? It's a waste. an actress like her.' I said exactly why I took her. It's a silent role. Even the silence didn't stop h...