Why did Danny Denzongpa refuse to play Gabbar Singh?
Sholay has been one of the most iconic films of Indian cinema. This year in August, the film completed 45 years. The film was released on Independence Day 1975. Amitabh Bachchan played the role of Jai while Dharmendra played Veeru. However, the character that became instantly famous was Gabbar Singh played by actor Amjad Khan. But do you know, the role of Gabbar was first offered to Danny Denzongpa? However, he rejected it.
Opening why about why he did not play Gabbar Singh in Sholay, Danny Denzongpa told Spotboye, "It was because of a prior commitment and my word of honour that I had to let go of Sholay. I had signed Feroz Khan’s Dharmatma before Sholay and the dates were given to Feroz Bhai. I knew the Gabbar character was fabulous but my conscience guided me to take the right decision."
He added, "I have no regrets at all. If I had done Sholay we would have missed seeing all the wonderful performances of a wonderful actor called Amjad Khan."
Danny revealed that he was always selective in choosing films and used to do just three in a year. He said, "My colleagues who came in with me have done 600-700 films.My average remains three years 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."
Danny wanted to be in the army. In an earlier interview with TOI, the actor had said that he had qualified for the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, but withdrew admission to join the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He decided to change his name to a simpler sounding 'Danny', on recommendation from his then-classmate Jaya Bachchan, as his original name of Tshering Phintso Denzongpa was considered difficult for some to pronounce.
