The much anticipated 'Gabbar Singh' look of superstar Amitabh Bachchan for 'Ramgopal Varma ke Sholay', which went on the floor this week has finally been released.

Bachchan plays the iconic villain in this Ramgopal Varma's remake of the 1975 cult movie directed by Ramesh Sippy.

For the first time in his more than three decades long career, the 'big B' plays an antagonist of this dimension. The unique look of Big B's Gabbar, and other characters of the entire film is designed by Rajiv Chudasama from Marching Ants.

The actor who celebrates his 64th birthday next Wednesday, said that when Ramesh Sippy narrated the script of his film in 1975, he wanted to portray Gabbar.

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"But, Ramesh refused and told me that I will have to play the part which he has chosen for me. Now, I feel the circle is complete. My desire has been fulfilled after 30 years at the age of 64. I will now attempt to do or undo what Gabbar did in the original", he added.

Defending the remake of 'Sholay', which was released 31 years ago, Amitabh, sporting a trendy black suit and designer red glares, said cinema was a creative field and everybody should be given freedom to express themselves. In 'Ramgopal Varma Ke Sholay', the director portrays his version of the original.

"Late Amjad Khan and me were very close personal friends. I hope I can do justice to Ramu's interpretation. This character is different, but it will not lose the intensity with which Amjad played the character in the original", Amitabh said.

"Gabbar was everybody's favourite", he recalled. "There is no competition between the original film and the new one. Filmmakers have the liberty to create what they believe in", he explained.

Replying to a question on the difference between Amjad Khan's Gabbar and the one being essayed by the Big B, Ramgopal Varma said the character in the original belonged to the rocky terrain while his film was based in Mumbai.

To a question on portraying a villain after being the angry young man fighting to secure justice to the poor in various films, Bachchan said, "I am just playing the character given to me by my directors. This Gabbar is Ramu's brainchild. Even in Sarkar, even though Ramu was candid enough to admit that he was inspired by the Godfather, it was only the premise that was an inspiration", he observed.

Bachchan said 'Ramgopal Varma Ke Sholay' went on the floors three days ago. "I am feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Hence, it shows the amount of hard work which is being put", he added.

Varma said he did not believe that Gabbar Singh was a villain. "In fact, he was the hero of the film. "When I announced that I want to make a remake of Sholay, every one from my mother to even Lata Mangeshkar said I should not. I understand the challenge of making this film. So I thought of Amitji who could alone rescue me from this suicidal mission", he quipped.

Ramu said he had tremendous respect for Ramesh Sippy's 'Sholay'. "Whatever I am today is because of this film through which I learnt the aspects of filmmaking", he said.

Amitabh said he was overwhelmed at the grand manner in which Ramu had unveiled the look of Gabbar Singh, yesterday.

Refusing to divulge any details of the film, Ramu said the original Sholay was a story of a cop who with the help of two petty criminals plots revenge on a dacoit who has massacred his family.

"My Sholay is set in Mumbai city of the year 2006", he noted.

Replying to a question on why Amitabh's Gabbar does not evoke fear and have a menacing look like the one portrayed by Amjad Khan, Ramu said that he did not want to disclose details of his film.

Rajiv Chudasama said the look complimented the storyline of the film. "This Gabbar is always on the run, so naturally he will look tired. This look has been meticulously developed over a period of time and has primarily emerged from Varma's interpretation of the character", he said.

Amitabh who celebrates his 64th birthday on October 11 said he had no special plans on his big day. "My mother is not keeping well and is hospitalized. My routine will be as usual. No celebrations", he said.

Ajay Devgan, Mohit Ahlawat, Katrina Kaif, Mohal Lal and Urmila Matondkar are other prominent members among the cast.