The iconic Sholay characters got a comic twist when Gabbar, Veeru, Sambha and Basanti joined hands to sell winterwear at International Library and Cultural Centre (ILCC) in Ranchi on Wednesday.

Students of Surendranath Centenary School role-played the characters of the 1975 movie to sell their product and went on to win the first prize at the inter-school creative marketing competition organised by ILCC.

Four-member teams from as many as six schools - Surendranath Centenary School, Delhi Public School, Oxford Public School, Bishop Westcott Girls' School-Namkum, Sapphire International School and DAV Public School, Gandhinagar - took part in the contest.

All schools were assigned a product, which they had to sell enacting out a skit. Participants had 20 minutes in hand to prepare their acts.

"We got winter clothes. We thought of role-playing the iconic Sholay characters to sell the product. The audience thoroughly enjoyed our act. We even incorporated humour to make our act appealing," said Shivom, a student of Surendranath School.

While the team from Sapphire International School came second for enacting an innovative shampoo advertisement, Bishop Westcott Girls' School-Namkum secured the third position for staging an act where two sales girls cleverly persuades a couple to buy a high-end watch.

"It was fun. We got to showcase both our acting and marketing skills," said Ananya Sharma of Bishop Westcott Girls' School-Namkum.

"The teams were judged on the basis of creativity, concept, brand promotion and communication skills. I am glad to see them come up with such innovative acts," said Vandana Sahu, one of the organisers.

The winners were felicitated with trophies and certificates.

"The purpose of holding the competition was to provide a platform to students to express their creativity and also help them overcome stage fear," said Jyoti Bajaj, ILCC deputy managing trustee.