The Different Approaches to the Angry-Man Genre: Juxtaposing the Long-Term Legacies of Sholay and Zanjeer

Sholay represented the start of a new era by its politically subversive response to the circumstances of the Emergency and the birth of the “curry western.” The film not only introduced characters who took up vigilantism and did not glorify the government but also included romance and friendship as key themes to serve side-by-side with action and justice, influencing future films to also mix these themes together and challenge political authority.