Gabbar’s den gets a makeover

Turned into Ramgarh in the iconic Sholay, Ramanagaram still echoes with Gabbar’s notorious guffaw. Today, 35 years after the release of Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster, the sleepy town readies for yet another makeover.

Kitne aadmi the… saala nautanki, ghadi ghadi drama karta hai… sarkar, maine aapka namak khaya hai…’ — it’s all fresh in our minds even after 35 years, isn’t it? Who doesn’t recall Basanti’s tonga, Jai and Veeru’s dosti, Thakur’s oversized shawl, the eccentric Gabbar Singh and a village called Ramgarh? An hour’s drive from the city — 50 km from Bangalore — Ramgarh was the screen name given to Ramanagaram more than three decades ago.

It was art director Ram Yedekar who first suggested it as the ideal locale for Sholay. When director Ramesh Sippy and his cinematographer Dwarka Divecha saw the place, they loved it.

According to Sippy, Ramanagaram was like a blank canvas waiting to be fashioned into fantasy.

Today, Ravi Shankar, managing director, Anantara Hotels & Resorts, feels pretty much the same way about the landscape. He says: “The location was always known but nothing existed there. We saw an opportunity and decided to build a resort — The Ramgarh Resort and Spa. The location is unique enough to appeal to a very large target group — upper-middle class Bangaloreans looking for a break.”

The resort will be spread out across 6.67 acres of hard rock and soft landscaping. “We are only constructing to an approximate 18% of the total area available to us. The rest will be open landscapes. We are also trying to be 100% environmentally friendly. Close to 60% of the total land is under a rain water harvesting program with natural water bodies,” says Shankar.

Being developed by Anantara Hotels & Resorts under the brand name Amritara, the resort builders are taking its Sholay connection seriously too. “The resort, which will include 24 villas, two restaurants, a bar and a spa, will have a decor that reflects the aesthetics of Sholay. Props such as motorcycles with sidecars, Basanti’s tonga, double-barrel guns mounted on the wall and Gabbar’s boots will all be incorporated as reminders of the Bollywood blockbuster,” says Shankar.

Even staff uniforms aim to take people down the Sholay memory lane and make the experience even better. “We are looking at getting a resort manager who has a passing resemblance to Sanjeev Kumar, who plays the role of Thakur in the movie,” says Shankar.

The idea is to extend the movie into a living experience, without making it too in-your-face, says Shankar. He also plans to conduct tours describing the sets of the film. “Artwork, uniforms, F&B experiences, cutlery and crockery will also be reminiscent of various famous scenes of this epic movie as well as other famous movies from the 70’s. Our corporate chefs and service managers are working on a nostalgia course that will deliver authentic food from Thakur ki haveli and beverages from Gabbar ka adda too,” says Shankar.

Activities like horse riding, rappelling and assorted in-house games designed around Sholay are a few other features of The Ramgarh Resort and Spa, which is scheduled to be functional by May 2011.

When asked if the Sholay cast would be invited for the inauguration of the resort, Shankar says, “Yes, we will definitely invite the entire cast as well as all the others who were involved in the creating this epic when the time is right.”