He was living his character, and would stay in costume even when he was not shooting. In the next schedule, Amjad was more prepared. Through the entire schedule, he didn't do a single shot. I hope I can do it.' Since he didn't drink, he would spend the evenings nursing endless cups of tea. He wrote often to his wife, but never shared with her the extent of his trauma. For the rest of the schedule, Amjad lived in the fatigues, trying to become Gabbar. His family's hopes were pinned on this film. His father was in hospital fighting cancer.

'Tu apne aap ko season kar de (Season yourself).' Amjad cried that night. Divecha told Amjad to keep his costume on and just sit on the sets. After forty-odd takes, both Ramesh and cameraman Dwarka Divecha decided the actor needed a break. There was nothing natural about his performances Gabbar was a stranger to Amjad.Ramesh kept talking to him, trying to help him get his lines right. He was nervous and it showed his hands were stiff, his movements seemed rehearsed, and his dialogue delivery was shaky. He would grind the tobacco, speak a few lines, look around awkwardly and then return to grinding. The motion of one hand grinding against another added to his menace. Gabbar had to mince tambaku (tobacco) as he talked. But now, when it was time to deliver, he just could not get it right. He had lived the part for the last few months. His army fatigues, picked up from Mumbai's Chor Bazaar, had the right weathered look. The years of theatre rehearsals, knocking on doors for acting jobs, sweating it out as an assistant - the Gabbar role had made all that seem worthwhile. His first line was, 'Kitne aadmi the?' All his life had led to this moment. They were starting with the scene in which he is introduced. His only terror was: 'If this plane crashes, Danny gets Gabbar' (the first choice for the role but lost out to date commitments).Gabbar Singh was not having a good day. Through the flight, he wasn't thinking about his wife or his one month-old son. Not many passengers had the stomach to get on that plane again Amjad was among the four or five who finally flew on it. After five hours, it was announced that the technical faults had been fixed and the plane was ready to take-off. Amjad sat at the airport but didn't call home. After dumping fuel for hours, the plane landed back in Mumbai.

There was a hydraulic failure, and the pilot was forced to keep circling over Mumbai. He placed the holy book back in its place, said, 'I think I'll be able to do it,' and drove to the airport.

As abruptly as he had started, he stopped. Amjad was a spiritual person but he rarely prayed. The morning Amjad was to leave for Bangalore, he put the Quran on his head and prayed.

Hindi movie sholay part 1