Actor and filmmaker Sunil Dutt’s Reshma Aur Shera (1971) was Bollywood’s initial take on Romeo & Juliet. Dutt reportedly had to sell seven cars and mortgage his home to bring his artistic vision to life, but the film couldn’t do well at the box office.
Set in Jaisalmer, Reshma Aur Shera is a love story caught in the crossfire of family vengeance. Reshma (Waheeda Rehman) belongs to the Chaudhury family, sworn enemies of Sagat Singh (Jayant). Shera (Sunil Dutt), Sagat’s eldest son, falls in love with Reshma during a mela in the village. Their affection blooms in the desert winds and qawwalis.
But, unlike the ‘happy endings’ of the 1970s Hindi cinema, where the hero and heroine get together in the end, Reshma Aur Shera leaves the audience weeping by the climax.
Even after more than five decades, the film’s imagery lingers — be it the ringing temple bell, sandstorms, or firelight flaring on faces, and the desert engulfing the grief. In cinematic terms, Reshma Aur Shera stands as a monument of ambition and artistry.
Despite critical praise, which included Rehman winning the National Award for Best Actress and the film bagging Best Cinematography and Best Music Direction, it pushed Sunil Dutt into deep debt.
Yet today, it is regarded as one of Indian cinema’s lesser-known treasures.
Bachchan’s baritone
When Shera attends Reshma’s brother Gopal’s wedding, hoping to establish peace between the two families, he is humiliated for entering the village.
He is dragged on the floor, and Reshma’s father, Chaudhury (KN Singh), points a gun at him. Nothing shakes Shera’s determination—and he’s embraced by his lover’s father.
But just when a rare moment of possible reconciliation gives hope to Reshma and Shera’s love, Sagat Singh’s sharp‑shooter Chhotu (Amitabh Bachchan) opens fire, killing Chaudhury as well as his newly married son.
In the scene, Bachchan as Chhotu hesitates to kill, his internal distress is written all over his face—the Angry Man’s acting chops elevates the film. an alchemy of acting is what elevates the film.
Sunil Dutt, who also directed the film, had initially dismissed casting Amitabh Bachchan because of his baritone.
“When my father (Manmohan Sabir) was making Saath Hindustani, Sunil Dutt asked for some show reels because he had heard about an interesting actor and he wanted to cast him as a second hero in Reshma Aur Shera. After the trial, my father and Dutt sahab were drinking in the Ajanta lobby. That’s when Sunil Dutt said, ‘Manmohan, this boy (Amitabh Bachchan) is intense, par yeh pahaadi kauwe ki awaaz ka kya karunga yaar. (What should I do about his crow-like voice),” actor Akashdeep Sabir, in an interview with Lehren Retro, revealed.
Dutt ended up casting Bachchan in Reshma Aur Shera (1971) as someone with speech disability.
“Who does that to Amitabh Bachchan?” Sabir asked.
Bachchan’s role as Chhotu is critical to the film’s emotional momentum because he conveys guilt, confusion, and religious dread through his eyes.
During one of her appearances on The Kapil Sharma Show, Waheeda Rehman — with respect to the scene where she slaps Bachchan — said that she had not thought to hit him that hard, but in the moment,t she ended up doing so. When she apologised to him later, the actor laughed and appreciated her acting skills.
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Path to peace: sacrifice
Shera, who seeks revenge on behalf of the Chaudhury clan, is on the verge of killing Chhotu, but he lowers the gun upon seeing Reshma dressed like a bride —she marries Chhotu to end the long-standing feud.
“Reshma, tujhe apne itne bade balidan se mujh jaise paapi ko dharm ke raaste par lana pada (Reshma, to guide a sinner like me onto the path of righteousness, you had to make such a great sacrifice),” Shera says to himself.
Whereas Reshma prays to “Mother Goddess” saying, “mera farz poora ho gaya. Agar mera pyaar saccha hai, toh mujhe bhi Sita Maiya ki tarah woh shakti dena… ki main iss dharti mein sama jaaun. (my duty is fulfilled. If my love is true, then bless me with the strength of Sita herself… so I may dissolve into this very earth).”
Moments later, Shera, who is torn between love and vengeance, kills himself, and Reshma collapses in grief. In a narrative built on masculine violence, love, and futile honour, it is Reshma whose sacrifice offers a path to peace.
The last scene of Reshma Aur Shera is cinematic brilliance for that era. It shows a sandstorm enveloping the bodies of Reshma and Shera, language falling away. Only silence, symbol, and loss remain.
The film was originally shot by S.Sukhdev but Sunil Dutt decided to reshoot the film. This decision got him into debt of Rs 60 lakh.
While the film failed financially, its poetic pacing, emotional subtlety, and visual boldness feel timeless.
The blog Cinema Chaat, known for its analysis of classic cinema, in their review wrote, “Each time I watch Reshma Aur Shera … I fall in love with it all over again.”
Cast: Sunil Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman, Vinod Khanna, Rakhee Gulzar, Ranjeet
Director: Sunil Dutt
Producer: Sunil Dutt, S.P. Mahendra
Music director: Jaidev
(Edited by Ratan Priya)