Salim Khan, the co-writer of 'Sholay', created the film's characters 'Jai' and 'Veeru' based on the names of his college friends Jai Singh Rao Kalevar and Veerandar Singh Bias. Amitabh Bachchan portrayed the character 'Jai' while Dharmendra played 'Veeru'. Also starring Jaya Bachchan, Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar, the film released 42 years ago on August 15, 1975.