FILM · 2007 · INDIA
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag
32 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (32)
- #001
During the scripting process, Ram Gopal wanted Randeep Hooda to play Gabbar Singh. Randeep turned down the offer because he did not want to be compared with Amjad Khan.
- #002
Choosing a soft light-brown colored contact lens for Amitabh Bachchan's left eye and a blue one for his right eye (applied every morning by the family's eye surgeon, Dr. Himanshu Mehta) took 50 attempts.
- #003
When the film was announced, many actors showed interest in playing Thakur. Dharmendra and Anupam Kher were among them, but casting Mohanlal as the new Thakur "Narishma" was Ram Gopal Varma's decision.
- #004
The film ranks at the top of lists of the worst Indian films.
- #005
The film's working title was "Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay".
- #006
Saif Ali Khan signed on for the role of Veeru but ran into date problems and chose to withdraw.
- #007
Suchitra Krishnamoorthy, who plays Narshima's wife, and Sachin, who plays Babban Singh's brothers, were characters added to the script. These characters were not in the original 1975 Sholay script.
- #008
Kajol was upset by the lovemaking scene between her husband Ajay Devgn and Nisha Kothari in this film.
- #009
In 2015, Ram Gopal Verma was fined 10 Lakh for remaking the classic Sholay 1975.
- #010
Although Ram Gopal Varma faced criticism from many cast and crew members of the original Sholay (1975) (Ramesh Sippy, Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra and Hema Malini), he had the support of Amitabh Bachchan, whom he had long dreamed of casting as Gabbar Singh.
- #011
Abhishek Bachchan was cast to play the role of "Veeru", but he left and the role went to Ajay Devgn. Abhishek now plays the Gypsy Singer in the song Mehbooba.
- #012
Manoj Bajpai signed on for the role of Sushant Singh. He later backed out because he was not paid his price.
- #013
Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Pilgaonkar are the only actors from the original Sholay (1975), but they played different characters. They played Jai and Ahmed.
- #014
Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Pilgaonkar play brothers for the first time since Satte Pe Satta (1982). They reunite after appearing in that film.
- #015
Boman Irani had worked on a guard role similar to Asrani's in Sholay 1975. This was later cut from the film.
- #016
When the film was released with such a large cast, it looked like an 80s action film or a B-grade film and drew criticism.
- #017
Katrina Kaif was initially signed for the role of Radha. However, after writing the script, Ram Gopal Varma rewrote Radha's role as a deviation named Devi. Katrina felt she could not play the role, and Ram Gopal Varma felt Sushmita Sen was better suited to it.
- #018
Mohit Ahlawat signed on for the role of Prashant Raj but was dropped by Ram Gopal Varma when problems arose.
- #019
Filming was postponed for a while because Amitabh Bachchan was hospitalized with a stomach ache, which also affected his other projects.
- #020
Sunil Shetty was initially thought to play the Sushant Singh role, but later Manoj Bajpai was considered, and he and Ram Gopal Verma had a big argument because Manoj Bajpai wanted to play Ajay Devgan's role; the two decided never to work together again, and both later patched things up for Sarkar 3 in 2017.
- #021
Gaurav Kapur agreed to play the role of Sachin in the film because Sholay is one of his favourite films.
- #022
Karishma Kapoor was in talks to play Ghungroo. This would have marked her comeback film after her maternity break.
- #023
Sachin made a clear return to Hindi films after a long absence.
- #024
Abhishek Bachchan and Urmila performed in the song Mehbooba O Mehbooba. They were Ram Gopal Verma's first choices for the song in his 2003 film Bhoot. Abhishek Bachchan was later replaced by Ajay Devgan.
- #025
The guitar sound/melody in the song "Jee Le Zara" was inspired by Blood Sweat and Tears' song "Go Down Gamblin".
- #026
Shreyas Talpade was offered the role of Ahmed but turned it down. Gaurav Kapoor was later signed.
- #027
The 0:00-0:15 section of the song "Ruk Jaa" from Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag samples the intro music of Yello's song "Jungle Bill".
- #028
Randeep Hooda was accepted as the replacement for Mohit Alhawat and was at one point offered a part as Ajay Devgan's role. He declined because he was busy shooting Risk (2007) and Ru Ba Ru (2008). Later, when filming was halted for a while due to health problems, he was also offered one of Amitabh Bachchan's roles. He declined because the character was based on Gabbar Singh and he did not want to fill the place of Amjad Khan from Sholay (1975).
- #029
In late 2005 and early 2006, when Amitabh Bachchan's health was not good, Ram Gopal Verma planned to cast Randeep Hooda as Babban Singh (based on Gabbar Singh). However, he declined because he did not want to fill the place of Amjad Khan.
- #030
Ramgopal Varma said: "Many people criticised me for being extremely unemotional while making my masterpiece AAG. The truth is, I have never been more careful and passionate while making any of my films than I was with AAG, even though they were used in the wrong direction. I think the most careless I have been so far was while making SATYA. On the day of the shoot I did not have a Script or a One Line Order with me. This does not mean that this is what it takes to make a film. A good film is much more complex than that. I want to use this platform to explain how each of my films was made and why it is good, bad or ugly. I also want to share various personal experiences that can give an idea about my filmmaking process. I will explain the psychology behind them, including the old and the new. Above all, I am extremely excited that I can now interact with everyone who loves and hates me and my films."
- #031
Priyanka Kothari is a fan of Rajinikanth, like her character Ghungroo.
- #032
Ram Gopal Verma chose two character names for Amitabh Bachchan: Babban Singh and Asghar Singh. He later settled on Babban Singh.
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