 The film was loosely styled after Akira Kurosawa 's 1954 film Seven Samurai , and drew heavily from the conventions of Westerns , especially Sergio Leone 's Spaghetti Westerns such as Once Upon a Time in the West ( 1968 ) , and John Sturges ' film The Magnificent Seven ( 1960 ) . Sholay was also influenced by the westerns of Sam Peckinpah , such as The Wild Bunch ( 1969 ) and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid ( 1973 ) ; and by George Roy Hill 's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( 1969 ) . A scene depicting an attempted train robbery was inspired by a similar scene in North West Frontier ( 1959 ) , and a scene showing the massacre of Thakur 's family has been compared with the massacre of the McBain family in Once Upon a Time in the West . Some plot elements were borrowed from the Indian films Mera Gaon Mera Desh ( 1971 ) and Khote Sikkay ( 1973 ) . 
 The film was loosely styled after Akira Kurosawa <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>1954 film Seven Samurai , and drew heavily from the conventions of Westerns , especially Sergio Leone <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>Spaghetti Westerns such as Once Upon a Time in the West ( 1968 ) , and John Sturges <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'</mark></a>film The Magnificent Seven ( 1960 ) . Sholay was also influenced by the westerns of Sam Peckinpah , such as The Wild Bunch ( 1969 ) and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid ( 1973 ) ; and by George Roy Hill <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( 1969 ) . A scene depicting an attempted train robbery was inspired by a similar scene in North West Frontier ( 1959 ) , and a scene showing the massacre of Thakur <a href='null_genetive' title='5'><mark>'s</mark></a>family <a href='been_done' title='6'><mark>has</mark></a> been compared with the massacre of the McBain family in Once Upon a Time in the West . Some plot elements <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> borrowed from the Indian films Mera Gaon Mera Desh ( 1971 ) and Khote Sikkay ( 1973 ) . 
Da film was loosely styled after Akira Kurosawa  1954 film Seven Samurai , and drew heavily from tdaconventions of Westerns , especially Sergio Leone  Spaghetti Westerns such as Once Upon a Time in thdaest ( 1968 ) , and John Sturges  film The Magnificent Seven ( 1960 ) . Sholay was also influenced by thedasterns of Sam Peckinpah , such as The dad Bunch ( 1969 ) and Pat rashad and Billy the Kid ( 1973 ) ; and by George Roy Hill  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance nigga ( 1969 ) . A scene depicting an attempted train robbery was inspired by a similar scene in North West Frontier ( 1959 ) , and a scene showing the massacre of Thakur  family done been compared with the massacre of the Mdain family in Once Upon a Time in the Weda. Some plot elements was borrowed from the Indian films Mera Gaon Mera Desh ( 1971 ) and Khote Sikkay ( 1973 ) .