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“Are O Sambha– Kitna Inaam Rakhe Hai Sarkar Hum Par”– Gabbar bellowed while chewing his stinky tobacco.

“Puray Pachhas Hazar” I had to reply every time. Gabbar had a Trump-like ego. Gabbar used to make me always stand on the hummock, in hot sunshine, and ask me pointless questions.

I was his Amit Shah, but he showed no respect. He did not consult me on important issues. I had made up my mind to free Thakur and claim the 50 thousand. Thakur himself was a hothead with no common sense. Which policeman comes alone to kill a dacoit? A battalion is not enough. He lost his hands before I could act.

I became a Dacoit by accident. One day Gabbar and I were bunking school and playing in the fields. We found a gun lying on the ground. Gabbar dared me to shoot it at a pig grazing far away. I took a shot. I was the Goti champion of the village. The run recoiled in my hand, and the bullet hit a policeman right in his belly. The policeman had kept his gun down and was relieving himself near a tree. From that day, Gabbar and I have been running from the police. We formed our troupe of backbenchers from village schools and occupied the hills of Chambal.

We had unleashed a reign of terror. The neighborhood villagers supplied us with the required rations as protection payments. Jai and Veeru, the hired henchmen of Thakur, thought they would win against us and change everything.

I had pleaded with Gabbar to let me go on the mission to capture Jai and Veeru, but he never agreed. Gabbar’s ground staff was not resourceful enough to deal with Jai and Veeru.

We captured Veeru’s sweetheart Basanti. I loved watching Basanti perform Bharatanatyam in Bollywood style. Gabbar couldn’t swallow that and said, “Are O Sambha – Utha to zara bandok, laga to Nishana.” He made me point a gun at Veeru, asking me to shoot him if Basanti stops dancing. He did not understand that there was no way Basanti was going to stop. She loved dancing.

Basanti rolled her eyes at Veeru when he told her not to dance in front of dogs. Veeru had earlier threatened to kill dogs and drink their blood. After marriage, she made him volunteer at a pet shelter, but that is a story for another time.

Basanti was also very angry with the no-name Gypsy dancer (Helen). She danced to the best song, “Mehbooba Mehbooba.” Well, Veeru married Basanti, but she had the hots for me. If I weren’t dead, she would be mine.