After 42 years, Ramgarh of fame to come alive for visitors
RAMANAGARAM (K'TAKA): The Sholay magic is set to be recreated in the rocky terrains of Ramanagaram with plans afoot to bring alive the trailblazing characters, 42 years after they were immortalised in the iconic Bollywood film.
A Rs 7.5 crore proposal has been mooted to establish "Sholay-the-3d Virtual Reality Village' for cine lovers on a locale at Ramadevara Betta that was popularly known as Ramgarh where the blockbuster film was shot by Ramesh Sippy in a dacoit-gangland setting. The place, about 50 km south-west of Bengaluru, is a paradise for trekking, rock climbing and photo shooting.
The main purpose of establishing the virtual village is to enthral visitors using goggles, virtual reality headsets, laser disc-based systems, VR-3D, audio and visual equipment and multiple screens, an official said here.
Seven hills are located within a 10 km radius of Ramanagaram, including Ramadevar betta, where Gabbar Singh, played by the late Amjad Khan in the antagonist role in the 1975 film, was picturised.
Gabbar Singh's dacoit role gave Khan cult status, along with the memorable role of his henchmen Samba and Kaalia.
The Ramanagaram district administration has submitted the plan to the state government to either implement it as a Public-private venture or as a state project.
The project, however, will not be established in the vul- ture reserve area, but outside it.
The virtual village will bring the film's characters to life through three-dimensional (3D) printing and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, a top district official said.
The virtual actors will come to life and deliver world famous punchlines in the film, and the visitors can deliver the following dialogues, the official said.
"When Gabbar Singh says Kitne aadmi they ..... the visitors can immediately deliver the dialogue that follows "do sarkar" .. "woh do they aur tum teen," the official said, reminiscing a scene when Gabbar Singh attacks the village for the first time in the film.
The plan is for either the district administration entering into a partnership with Sippy Productions and other private agencies under a PPP model or for the government taking up the project on its own, the official said. MUMBAI: Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar, who passed away on Monday night, was cremated here on Tuesday with full state honours. Those who attended the cremation at the Dadar crematorium included Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde, santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, musician Abhijit Pohankar, actor Vikram Gokhale, acclaimed percussionist Taufiq Qureshi and noted playback singer Suresh Wadkar.
Singer Mahesh Kale and theatre and film director Vijaya Mehta also paid their tributes to Amonkar, whose body was draped in the national tricolour before the cremation. Amonkar's eldest son Nihar lit the funeral pyre.
Paying his tributes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the demise of Amonkar (84) is an irreparable loss to the Indian classical music.
"Deeply pained by her demise. May her soul rest in peace. The works of Kishori Amonkar will always remain popular among people for years to come," he tweeted.
Amonkar's body was kept at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi area to enable people to pay their last respects and was then taken to Dadar crematorium for the last rites.
Born on April 10, 1932 in Mumbai, Amonkar was recognised as one of the foremost singers in the Hindustani tradition and as an innovative exponent of the Jaipur gharana.