Played by Amjad Khan, he is depicted in Sholay as a dacoit with an evil laugh much like "El Indio", the robber, from the Western film For a Few Dollars More, who leads a group in looting and plundering the villages in the region of Ramgarh.

[6][7] The fictional Gabbar Singh was also inspired by larger-than-life characters in Pakistani author Ibn-e-Safi's Urdu novels.

[8] Sippy wanted to avoid the clichéd idea of a man becoming a dacoit due to societal issues, as was the case in other Indian films, and focused on Gabbar being an emblem of pure evil.

[10] Amjad Khan was almost dropped from the project because Javed Akhtar found his voice too weak for Gabbar Singh's role but was later convinced.

Although the film boasted an ensemble cast of superstars including Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, he stole the thunder with his unorthodox and eerie dialogue delivery that was perfectly opposite to the total lack of empathy his character was supposed to convey.

According to Anupama Chopra, "He’s like Darth Vader in Star Wars, pure evil, utterly terrifying and a cool baddie”.

[21][22] Filmfare named Gabbar Singh the most iconic villain in the history of Indian cinema,[23] In Jai Hind (1994) comedian Senthil says "Arre O Sambha" while appearing as a dacoit.