Why Dewar is more iconic than Sholay
While Sholay remains a cult classic, Dewar appears to be much more. It is one of the finest examples of the kind of cinema that speaks to the audience, represents them and represents their issues. In the fight between Sholay and Devar, here is some food idea.

Cinema that is a happy combination of pure fantasy, imagination and creativity. Like Sholay. And then there is cinema that comes from all around us, reflecting the very issues that we are fighting. Like brother-in-law. It is not necessary to give you any solutions for the latter. It is only representation that matters.
Yash Chopra’s 1975 drama about two brothers, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi (Shashi Kapoor), defined the very fabric of quintessential Bollywood. It is highly melodramatic, full of whistle-worthy dialogues, appeals to a common man’s emotions, and keeps you entertained. Like any other good commercial cinema.
Now, Sholay, which has earned the title of being a cult classic in the Hindi film industry over time, has all the elements that Dewar has. But, it’s still light years from being this layered story that is still relevant today.

In both Sholay and Dewar, a handsome and rugged Amitabh Bachchan commands your attention. In the Ramesh Sippy-turned-directorial, he is a criminal-turned-man with a newfound purpose, and in Dewar, his purpose in life turns him into a criminal. Bachchan’s famous image as the ‘Angry Young Man’ of the industry is attributed more to Dewar than Sholay, even when both films were released in the same year.
Sholay, which was not successful when it was first released in theatres, is like a grand, loud play. Its characters are not real, nor is the situation it deals with. It became a huge success in subsequent years as it represents escapist cinema at its best. You are invested in the story of two underdogs who will fight tooth and nail to bring down a dacoit, Gabbar Singh.
Every character in Sholay is so animated that you are left in awe of them. There is an ex-cop Thakur, who had his hand chopped off by Gabbar, and is living to avenge all that he lost years ago.
Jai and Veeru (played by Bachchan and Dharmendra respectively) are like machine guns – very charming, full of strength but all over the place in the absence of a steep direction. There’s Basanti (Hema Malini), a colorfully nonchalant addition in a drama based on dacoits.
A jailer (Asrani) who is a perfect mockery of Hitler is rarely done in Hindi cinema. There is also a blind Imam Sahib (a Hangal) to provide emotional relief between the action and comedy. Not to forget, a very mute Radha (Jaya Bachchan), the white sari-clad widow of the Thakur’s son, who was killed by Gabbar.

The premise of Sholay is nothing short of extraordinary, as it is impossibly unbelievable. The film can be watched at any age in any era, and it will remain incredible. Which is not the case with brother-in-law.
At its heart, Deewaar, written by Salim-Z, offers a powerful commentary on the socio-political shifts in the country, addressing issues that are not only believable, but relevant. To the point that making a film like this would not be an easy task today. The story cleverly operates in the guise of a stellar drama between two sons and their mother, but throughout all its journey, it is a poignant look at the changing fabric of the nation in the late 70s.
Before we are introduced to the film’s heroes, we are introduced to the important issues a common man faces – the loss of opportunities, the rich-poor divide, the feeling of losing faith in the state, and the urge to speak up. One of the early scenes in the film features Vijay and Ravi’s father, Anand Varma, leading a strike by factory workers against the oppression of the owners, demanding decent wages.
He is silenced later in the film after his family is kidnapped, a representation of those who are dispossessed of power, connections, and access to wealth. To ignore the fact that it was issued in the same year that Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, the darkest phase in the history of Indian governance.

Dewar is also an ineffective way of showing the idea of ​​right and wrong, what lies in between, and the idea of ​​what can and should be done.
When Ravi decides to kill his brother, Vijay, and their mother gives permission for the murder, the message is quite clear: the criminal needs to be put away. The fact that it was those traumatic circumstances that made Vijay a smuggler is irrelevant. Their resentment against the world does not matter. It’s also not relevant if he got brutally bullied as a child, and tattoos’My father is the core’The only thing that is important is that in the battle between right and wrong, wrong will never win.
In Dewar, the lines between right and wrong are quite blurred. Perhaps this is why you never find yourself celebrating Vijay’s death with your brother. In fact, you always find yourself rooting for the guy, because him being this rich, powerful guy feels like a personal victory. He is a hero. His success is a slap in the faces of those who bullied him throughout his childhood, and launched his mother into a harsh world of adversity.
Devar not only makes you sit and clap every time Vijay realizes his power, it also makes you feel. While Sholay may be a grand fantasy, Dewar is a dark rumination about deprivation, social climbing and discontentment.
Even with all its popularity and celebratory status, Sholay will always be just a film. Whereas Dewar is almost like a well thought out book about cinema. Furthermore, Sholay will never have the one thing that Devar has: Maa.
