India, Nov. 24 -- One of the most beloved stories from the sets of Sholay comes from the shooting of the iconic "Basanti, in kutton ke saamne mat naachna!" scene. The story goes that Dharmendra-already adored for his charm-kept insisting on multiple retakes, claiming he wasn't satisfied with his delivery.

The truth, the crew later joked, was far more romantic: he simply wanted Hema Malini, who played Basanti and whom he was secretly wooing at the time, to remain on set a little longer.

What the crew saw that day wasn't just an actor chasing perfection-it was the effortless transformation of Dharmendra into Veeru, the happy-go-lucky romantic hero whose boyish charm made Sholay sparkle with warmth even amidst its violence.

Dharmendra and...