Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar has said that the iconic Bollywood film 'Sholay' was not based, as was rumoured, on the classic western 'Once Upon a Time in the West', which was directed by Sergio Leone.

"As I have said, we (Salim and Javed) were influenced by Sergio Leone. But 'Sholay' was not based on his epic film. Critics also said 'Zanjeer' was based on 'Dirty Harry'," Akhtar writes in the recently released book, 'Talking Life: Javed Akthar in Conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir'.