Who Moved My Sholay?

This 15 August, when Sholay turns 35, you will not be able to buy an unpirated DVD of the blockbuster.

This 15 August, when Sholay turns 35, you will not be able to buy a DVD to relive the magic of this blockbuster. DVDs of the movie have been off the shelves since May 2010, says Rakesh Kainth, who runs Horizon Music Shop, a music and movies store in Delhi’s Green Park. Horizon had been selling about 30 copies of the DVD per month when it was available, no mean number considering that new releases like 3 Idiots sell about 200 DVDs. The reason for Sholay’s disappearing DVD act is a restraint order against Moser Baer, says a spokesperson for the company. While Moser Baer reportedly bought its rights from Ultra India, Pritish Nandy Communications went ahead and bought the same rights from Sascha Sippy, a member of the family that made the film. And thus the logjam. While Moser Baer did not comment further, Sascha Sippy had this to say to Open: “Moser Baer is a bloody infringer…”

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