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-   -   A Meeting with the "Sholay" Bike - 1942 BSA WM 500cc (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintage-cars-classics-india/148953-meeting-sholay-bike-1942-bsa-wm-500cc.html)

Background: I was recently invited by Shri. Amit Agarwal (Vice Chairman) of Jaipur Engineering College & Research Centre [JECRC (wwwjecrcuniversity.edu.in)] to visit the on going students fest "Renaissance" at their campus in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The main theme of the fest was to show case a century of India Film Industry and how it evolved over the years. The meaning of name and theme Renaissance can be understood using this link.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance.

During the round of the exhibition there were a lot of things that were of great interest to me.

However, the highlight of the feast was the "1942 BSA WA 500cc bike" which was modified and used for shooting a song title "Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Chorenge" from the famous Blockbuster "Sholay" staring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.

The 5 minutes song sequence was shot on this bike and it took 21 days to shoot this song.

We will not go much into the details of the movie but we all know that the film earned an iconic status in India and the dialogues of Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan-who will always be remembered as the most iconic villain in the history of Indian Cinema) entered the people's daily vernacular and are continued to be referred to and parodied in popular culture.

Disclaimer: Before I proceed with the pictures, I would also like to be clear on the fact that I have not met the Jaipur based owner who owns this bike and I had no means to prove the authenticity of the bike being used for the shoot. Besides, my search on the internet has also not given me much inputs. My statements in the thread are based on the inputs that were shared with me by the students of the college. However, I have been given to understand that a documentary on the bike is also being planned by "National Geographic" channel.

Pictures of the bike:

Some more pictures:

In the below pictures, clicking bike and getting clicked is yours truly "mints21".






The below picture is from the film poster.

If it is indeed the same bike, it is fantastic, and I would be the happiest. But I seriously doubt it. It may be similar machine, but most likely not the same one. The sidecar is the first giveaway, and the regn number the next (I remember it being MYB 3407 or 3047 or thereabouts). I don't know much about these military rigids, but there are some experts on the forum who will confirm if it is the identical model.

Unfortunately many people proclaim their car / bike to be the very same one used in a movie shoot, purely because they are the same model. Often there are multiple machines used for the same sequence - I think there was a bullet used too in some scenes, I cant say for sure now.

I would not be convinced till I see some more evidence in the form of previous owners, how it was acquired etc. But thanks for sharing all the same.

Yes, it is the very reason that I wrote, I had no means to check the authenticity. I was sure that such doubts will come up and there will be comparisons with the pictures and videos of the one that is in the movie.

The side car raised doubts. The registration number is of no relevance here as they are often changed during shoots. I have seen the registration numbers getting changed myself during the couple of shoots that I had attended.

My objective of this thread was to see, if someone from within the forum or any guest comes out with some information that could lead us to the complete facts. I have tried to search but nothing much is available on the net as well about this bike.

May be the side car was modified to give it a boat kind of look. Moreover the one in the movie does not have a wind screen as well.

In the meantime, I am also exploring the options to get to the facts.

Dear Sir, It is indeed a rear treat for us. With so much of efforts you have given this forum an exclusive topic of discussion. I too believe this bike is a look-alike of the original one because the movie itself was made decades back and having the bike of that movie till now and that too in such good shape is nothing less than a surprise. Secondly, The shape of the side car is different in both the pics. Lastly, As the event was about indian cinema so I believe this bike would have been used as a mark of respect to the movie. The sticker placed on it shows the enthusiasm of the students. But, I am sure the facts about it shall come-out soon.

Mate your observation is very true. But for sure it as a rear find.

Thanks

AD

Ahhha Karl

you have a point there.

taken from http://myroyalenfields.blogspot.in/2011/05/sholay.html

The video is not clear enough to see, but in this picture, it appears that the motorcycle is NOT a .........




Joydeep RoyFebruary 25, 2014 at 1:19 PM
I am sorry to inform ,the bike of sholay is an Ariel still intact with its side car.The owner stays in Bangalore and owns many vintage and classics as well.




and from
http://royalenfield.com/community/fo.../?topicid=2561

Sholay Bullet ?

created by: Abhijeet12:00 AMSat, January 1, 2005
What happend to the bullet used in sholay ? I think its the most famous bullet in History What do you guys think of a side car ? Does anybody have it ?

Arun KS

12:00 AM Mon, March 21, 2005
dear , i feel sad to tell u that the bike used in sholley was BSA silver star

ABDUL RASHEED

12:00 AM Thu, April 21, 2005
The bike used was a BSA M20. I have heard of BSA - Empire Star, Sports Star, Shooting Star and Gold Star. But a Silver Star........please let me know.

ABDUL RASHEED

12:00 AM Thu, May 26, 2005
I stand corrected.The bike used was a 350 c.c Ariel twin port bearing registration number MYB 3047.

The bike registration number as seen in the song was however MYB 3047. But film makers sometimes resort to changing (repainting rather) the registration numbers to get that local effect.

The sidecar is also different here as compared to that shown in the song.

A link to the original song video 6.29 minutes long here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4NOdJdoDzI

This is an excellent find - it's a treat for the eyes. Whether it is (one of the) bikes used in Sholay or not, it surely is a classic. Just hope someone can restore it to its original glory.

Thanks for sharing.

I'm glad it's not a rear-ended find :D

But if you watch the film, the bike has a MYB registration that is synonymous with Mysore state registration. But in the photos the registration is RSL. Can you throw more light on this

Dear mate, Please refer to the quotes below. You will find the solution.

Thanks

AD

Thanks suresh_gs for your post. But if you would have noticed, your query has been answered a couple of times in the earlier posts. My opening post after this thread has a relevant answer to this.

Further, if you go through my opening post above (a section of which you have quoted), I have very clearly mentioned that the bike was modified and used for shooting.

Hope this addresses your concern.

It makes sense to me that the bike registration is MYB - as Sholay was extensively shot in Ramanagaram - just off Bangalore-Mysore highway.

The chances of a bike being shipped from Mumbai or Rajasthan is remote.

This BSA is definitely a great find and nice to see!

Hi, I just came across this post while searching for the famous white hunters of India Kenneth anderson and his son Donald Anderson,the bike used in the movie "Sholay" indeed carried the original no. In the movie as stated by Donald Anderson in his biography "the last white hunter",where he says that people came to congratulate him after seeing movie ,only to be told that he sold the bike to a certain gentleman sometimes back.i hope this clears one thing that the bike used in the movie indeed was registered in Mysore state..
Regards