Amar Akbar Anthony
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Amar Akbar Anthony'' is a 1977 Indian
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language masala film directed and produced by
Manmohan Desai Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmaker of the 70s and 80s. Desai is now considered one of most influential film director of Bollywood and a pionee ...
and written by
Kader Khan Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 Bollywood films after his debut film in the 1973 film '' Daag'', starring Rajesh Khanna, in which he ...
. The film stars an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
of
Vinod Khanna Vinod Khanna (6 October 1946 – 27 April 2017) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awa ...
,
Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...
,
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
,
Neetu Singh Neetu Kapoor (born Harneet Kaur), is an Indian actress who is known for appearing in Hindi films throughout the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. In 2012, Singh was inducted into the Walk of the Stars, an entertainment hall of fame at Bandra ...
,
Parveen Babi Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...
,
Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...
,
Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...
, Pran and Jeevan. The plot focuses on three brothers who get separated in childhood and are adopted by people of different faiths;
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
,
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. As fate would have it, the trio reunite by chance in adulthood and set out to seek revenge from the person who is responsible for their separation. The soundtrack album was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and the lyrics were written by
Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He was nominated for the Filmfare award for Best lyricist a total of 40 times, resulting in 4 wins. Early life Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Prakash Vaid) was born ...
. The film was released on 27 May 1977 and earned at the Indian box office, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of that year, alongside '' Dharam Veer'' and ''
Hum Kisise Kum Naheen ''Hum Kisise Kum Naheen'' () is a 1977 Indian musical drama film produced and directed by Nasir Hussain. It took the third top spot at the box office in 1977. The film stars Rishi Kapoor, Tariq Khan, Kaajal Kiran, Amjad Khan and Zeenat Aman ...
''. Religious tolerance became a landmark theme in
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
masala films, building on the masala formula pioneered a few years earlier by
Nasir Hussain Mohammad Nasir Hussain Khan (16 November 1926 — 13 March 2002), better known as Nasir Hussain, was an Indian film producer, director, and screenwriter. With a career spanning decades, Hussain has been credited as a major trendsetter in the ...
's ''
Yaadon Ki Baaraat ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'' () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language masala film, directed by Nasir Hussain and written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar). It featured an ensemble cast, starring Dharmendra, Vijay Arora, Tariq, Zeenat Aman, Ne ...
'' (1973). ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' also had a lasting impact on pop culture with its catchy songs, quotable one-liners, and the character of Anthony Gonsalves (played by Bachchan). It won several awards at the
25th Filmfare Awards The 25th Filmfare Awards were held in 1978. ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' and '' Hum Kisise Kum Naheen'' led the ceremony with 7 nominations each, followed by ''Gharaonda'' and ''Swami'' with 6 nominations each. ''Amar Akbar Anthony,'' ''Hum Kisise ...
, including Best Actor, Best Music Director and Best Editing. It was later remade in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
as ''
Shankar Salim Simon ''Shankar Salim Simon'' is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by P. Madhavan. It stars Vijayakumar as Shankar, Jaiganesh as Salim and Rajinikanth as Simon. The film was inspired by the 1977 Hindi film ''Amar Akbar Anthony'', a ...
'' (1978), in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
as '' Ram Robert Rahim'' (1980), and in
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
as ''
John Jaffer Janardhanan ''John Jaffer Janardhanan'' is a 1982 Malayalam-language masala film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran, starring Ratheesh, Ravindran and Mammootty. It is a remake of the 1977 Hindi film ''Amar Akbar Anthony''. Plot Three broth ...
'' (1982). In
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, the film was unofficially remade in Punjabi as ''Akbar Amar Anthony'' (1978).


Plot

''Amar Akbar Anthony'' is the story of three brothers separated in childhood who grow up in the families of different religions respectively and fate reunites them in adulthood.


1955

The film begins on the Independence Day of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
with Kishanlal Tripathi ( Pran) a poor simpleton, being released from prison who had took the blame of a fatal car accident and was thus arrested by the police. In reality, the crime was committed by his employer Robert D'Souza ( Jeevan), a notorious crimelord for whom Kishanlal worked as a
chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
. Despite Robert's assurance that his family will be paid money thrice his salary after his arrest, Kishanlal is shocked to learn upon returning home that his wife Bharati Tripathi (
Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...
) is suffering from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
while his three infant sons are starving badly from hunger. He angrily visits Robert's mansion and blames him for his wife's illness and children's starvation, begging him to offer him some help. Instead, Robert humiliates Kishanlal and orders his gang members to kill him. However, Kishanlal fights against Robert's gang members and manages to escape from one of his cars loaded with smuggled gold bullion. He returns home to find his sons abandoned by Bharati who has left a suicide note, saying that she does not wish to live with the money he is paid by wrongdoings. Pursued by Robert's gang members, Kishanlal takes his sons to the
Borivali National Park Borivali (Pronunciation: oːɾiʋəliː is a suburb and is located at the north-western end of Mumbai and has a large Gujarati population followed by others. Traditionally the tribals and East Indians lived in Borivali. The attractions incl ...
where he leaves them near the
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
statue for safety, and drives off to outrun Robert's gang members. He and the sons are presumed dead in an exploding car accident by both the gang members and the police. Following her suicide attempt, Bharati is struck blind by a falling branch as a sign of punishment from the deity for abandoning her sons. In the park, the oldest son runs behind Kishanlal's car and is hit by the car of Robert's gang members. A
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
police officer named Superintendent Khanna (
Kamal Kapoor Kamal Kapoor (22 February 1920 – 2 August 2010) was an Indian actor and producer who acted in around 600 Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati films. Early and personal life Kamal Kapoor was born in 1920 in Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, Brit ...
) finds him unconscious on the streets and takes him away. The middle son leaves in search of food for his crying baby brother. A
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
tailor named Mr. Ilahabadi (
Shivraj Shivraj ( hi, शिवराज; 1920 - 3 June 2017) was an Indian actor. Selected filmography *''Singaar'' (1949) *'' Andolan'' (1951) (He played a key role) *'' Patita'' (1953) *''Devdas'' (1955) *'' Seema'' (1955) *''Dekh Kabira Roya'' ( ...
) finds the youngest son "abandoned" and takes him in as his son. Finding himself alone, the middle son falls asleep on the steps of a catholic church. A Christian priest named Father Gonsalves (
Nazir Hussain Nazir Hussain (15 May 1922 – 16 October 1987) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter. He was famous as a character actor in Hindi cinema and acted in almost 500 films. Dev Anand starred in a large proportion of the films he acted in ...
) finds Bharati's suicide note in his pocket and adopts him. Meanwhile, Bharati is rescued and dropped off home by Mr. Ilahabadi, but is unfortunately not able to recognize her youngest son due to her lack of sight. She is devastated to learn from the police that Kishanlal and the sons died in the car accident. Kishanlal, having survived the car accident, returns to the park with Robert's gold bullion but finds his sons gone. In retaliation, he swears vengeance on Robert upon believing that he has lost his entire family.


1977

22 years later, the three sons are now shown grown up with different names, religions and professions in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
; the oldest son is now shown as a
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
police officer named Amar Khanna (
Vinod Khanna Vinod Khanna (6 October 1946 – 27 April 2017) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awa ...
), the youngest son is now shown as a
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
singer of
qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
named Akbar Ilahabadi (
Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...
), and the middle son is now shown as a Christian owner of a country bar named Anthony Gonsalves (
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
). As fate would have it, the trio meet each other and become friends when they
donate blood A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for blood transfusion, transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called Blood fractionation, fractionation (separation of whole blood com ...
to a blind flower-seller meeting with a hit-and-run accident, unaware that she is their mother Bharati. Meanwhile, Kishanlal is now shown as a wealthy crimelord as he had used the gold bullion to form his own syndicate and hire Robert's gang members, driving him out of his business and forcing a penniless Robert to work for him. It is also revealed that in order to avenge his separation from his family, Kishanlal had kidnapped Robert's infant daughter and taken her in as his niece, and that she has just returned to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
after studying abroad. During a police raid on one of his hideouts, Kishanlal and his gang members are forced to leave from the place, allowing Robert to escape with a shipment of smuggled gold bullion and shoot Superintendent Khanna non-fatally in the process as he tried to arrest him. Meeting up with Robert, Anthony hides him from the police and helps him escape, unaware about his crimes. This results in Anthony being interrogated about Robert's whereabouts by both Amar and Kishanlal. He eventually feels guilty after learning from Amar that Robert shot Superintendent Khanna. As the story unfolds, each of the protagonists find themselves falling in love; Amar falls in love with a forced crook named Lakshmi Anand (
Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...
) after arresting her abusive stepmother (
Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (actress), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress), Pakistani actress in Punjabi and Urdu ...
), Akbar falls in love with a beautiful
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
named Salma Ali (
Neetu Singh Neetu Kapoor (born Harneet Kaur), is an Indian actress who is known for appearing in Hindi films throughout the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. In 2012, Singh was inducted into the Walk of the Stars, an entertainment hall of fame at Bandra ...
) whose grumpy father Taiyyab Ali (
Mukri Mohammed Umar Mukri (5 January 1922 – 4 September 2000), popularly known as Mukri, was an Indian actor, who worked as a comedian in Hindi films. Born as Muhammad Umar Mukri in Uran, in Kokani Muslim Family. He started his film career with th ...
) disapproves of their relationship, and Anthony falls in love with Robert's daughter Jenny D'Souza (
Parveen Babi Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...
) during a church sermon on
Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
. Using the stolen gold bullion, Robert regains his position as a crimelord and hires new gang members, planning to retrieve Jenny and seek revenge from Kishanlal. Eventually, Robert and his gang members bump into Bharati and attempt to pursue her. While trying to escape from Robert, Bharati reaches a festival hosted by Akbar honoring the
Sai Baba of Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to a ...
where she miraculously regains her
eyesight Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding environment through photopic vision (daytime vision), color vision, scotopic vision (night vision), and mesopic vision (twilight vision), using light in the visible spectrum reflect ...
. During her visit to Akbar's house, Mr. Ilahabadi recognises her as the woman whom he had rescued from the falling branch and dropped off home 22 years ago. At this point, Bharati sees Akbar's childhood photograph and learns that he is her youngest son. After being held hostage in the hospital by Robert, Salma and Taiyyab Ali find themselves in a house fire arranged by some prostitutes who worked under Taiyyab Ali. Akbar rescues them both and a grateful Taiyyab Ali gives blessings to Akbar and Salma's relationship. Due to Salma's information, both Akbar and Amar learn that they are brothers and that Kishanlal and Bharati are their parents, having an emotional reunion with them. However, things take a drastic turn when Jenny's bodyguard Zebisco ( Yusuf Khan) betrays her and sells her out to Robert in exchange of her hand in marriage. Father Gonsalves sees Robert and Zebisco kidnapping Jenny and tries to rescue her. Unfortunately, Robert stabs him fatally with his knife and succeeds in taking Jenny to his house. Lakshmi is also kidnapped and taken to Robert's house as hostage by her stepbrother Ranjeet Anand ( Ranjeet Bedi), who happens to be one of the gang members of Robert. After learning what happened to Father Gonsalves, Anthony learns through Bharati's old suicide note that Amar and Akbar are his brothers and that Kishanlal and Bharati are his parents. With the knowledge that they are related and after learning the while chain of incidents, the brothers are determined to make Robert pay for his crimes. They disguise themselves as a musician, an elderly tailor and a catholic priest respectively and enter Robert's house along with Salma, who pretends to be Akbar's wife. After their dance performance, the trio reveal themselves to Robert and the gang members and fight against them all. Eventually, the police are called in at the scene by Lakshmi, Salma and Jenny and have Robert and the gang members arrested and sent to prison for their crimes. However, Bharati is distraught to learn that Kishanlal is also arrested and sent to prison by the police for his past crimes. From inside the prison, Kishanlal expresses his happiness about gaining his three long-lost sons again along with three daughters-in-law as well. He is thus released from prison by Superintendent Khanna only to let him embrace Amar, Akbar and Anthony. The film ends with the three brothers happily driving in the sunset along with their respective love interests.


Cast

*
Vinod Khanna Vinod Khanna (6 October 1946 – 27 April 2017) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awa ...
as Amar Khanna (born Amar Tripathi); Akbar and Anthony's older brother, Lakshmi's love interest, Kishanlal and Bharati's oldest son *
Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...
as Akbar Illahabadi (born Raju Tripathi); Amar and Anthony's younger brother, Salma's love interest, Kishanlal and Bharati's youngest son *
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
as Anthony Gonsalves (born Chhotu Tripathi); Amar's younger brother, Akbar's older brother, Jenny's love interest, Kishanlal and Bharati's middle son *
Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...
as Lakshmi Anand; Amar's love interest *
Neetu Singh Neetu Kapoor (born Harneet Kaur), is an Indian actress who is known for appearing in Hindi films throughout the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. In 2012, Singh was inducted into the Walk of the Stars, an entertainment hall of fame at Bandra ...
as Salma Ali; Akbar's love interest, Tayyab Ali's daughter *
Parveen Babi Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...
as Jenny D'Souza; Anthony's love interest, Robert's estranged daughter *
Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...
as Bharati Tripathi; Kishanlal's wife, Amar, Akbar and Anthony's mother * Pran as Kishanlal Tripathi; Bharati's husband, Amar, Akbar and Anthony's father * Jeevan as Robert D'Souza; Kishanlal's archenemy, Jenny's estranged father, Albert's twin brother ** Jeevan also portrays Albert, Robert's twin brother. * Yusuf Khan as Zebisco; Jenny's bodyguard *
Ranjeet Ranjeet Bedi (born 13 September 1942 as Gopal Bedi) popularly known as Ranjeet, is an Indian actor and film director born in Jandiala Guru near Amritsar (Punjab), best known for his work in Bollywood.Singh, Nonika (1999)Ranjeet's triple love" ...
as Ranjeet Anand; Lakshmi's stepbrother *
Kamal Kapoor Kamal Kapoor (22 February 1920 – 2 August 2010) was an Indian actor and producer who acted in around 600 Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati films. Early and personal life Kamal Kapoor was born in 1920 in Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, Brit ...
as Superintendent Khanna; Amar's foster father *
Shivraj Shivraj ( hi, शिवराज; 1920 - 3 June 2017) was an Indian actor. Selected filmography *''Singaar'' (1949) *'' Andolan'' (1951) (He played a key role) *'' Patita'' (1953) *''Devdas'' (1955) *'' Seema'' (1955) *''Dekh Kabira Roya'' ( ...
as Illahabadi; Akbar's foster father *
Nazir Hussain Nazir Hussain (15 May 1922 – 16 October 1987) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter. He was famous as a character actor in Hindi cinema and acted in almost 500 films. Dev Anand starred in a large proportion of the films he acted in ...
as Father Gonsalves; Anthony's foster father


Special Appearances

*
Mukri Mohammed Umar Mukri (5 January 1922 – 4 September 2000), popularly known as Mukri, was an Indian actor, who worked as a comedian in Hindi films. Born as Muhammad Umar Mukri in Uran, in Kokani Muslim Family. He started his film career with th ...
as Tayyab Ali; Salma's grumpy father *
Moolchand Moolchand was a prolific character actor in Hindi and Panjabi cinema, who was active from 1950 to his death in the late 1980s. He appeared in over 250 films. These films spanned the parallel cinema of Guru Dutt to the wrestler films of Dara Sing ...
as Pedro; Robert's acquaintance *
Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...
as the girl at the airport who is sent by Kishanlal to impersonate Jenny *
Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (actress), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress), Pakistani actress in Punjabi and Urdu ...
as Lakshmi's abusive stepmother * Pratima Devi as Lakshmi's elderly grandmother


Production

''Amar Akbar Anthony'' has a cinematic antecedent in
Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...
's 1965 film '' Waqt'', in which a father's three sons are separated from each other. ''Waqt'' also inspired the 1976 super-hit diamond jubilee Pakistani film '' Talash'', starring
Shabnam Jharna Basak (born 17 August 1946), known by her stage name Shabnam, is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film ''Samundar'' in 1 ...
and
Nadeem Nadeem (also spelled Nadim or Nedim; ar, نديم) is an Arabic masculine given name. It means "best friend of the drinker" "companion", "confidant" or "friend". Originates from the plural word "Nadama""نَدامَى" which means, drink to forg ...
. However, ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' was slated to release in 1975, prior to ''Talashs release. Prayag Raj wrote the film's screenplay, while
Kader Khan Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 Bollywood films after his debut film in the 1973 film '' Daag'', starring Rajesh Khanna, in which he ...
wrote the dialogue. The character of Anthony Gonsalves was named after the famous composer and teacher of the same name, whose pupils included Pyarelal (of
Laxmikant–Pyarelal Laxmikant–Pyarelal were an Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Patil Kudalkar (1937–1998) and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma (born 1940). He is known by the nickname “Pyromaniac” due to his flaming style of music. Laxmikan ...
, the composer duo of the film) and
R. D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...
. Booth, p. 3 Director Manmohan Desai had planned for Amitabh's character to be named “Anthony Fernandes,” with Bakshi's song entitled “My Name is Anthony Fernandes.” However, the song didn't go well with Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Composer Pyarelal then recalled his famous violin teacher and suggested that the character's last name be changed to “Gonsalves.” Booth, p. 5 The nonsensical monologue preceding the "My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves" sequence was taken in part from a 1878 speech by British politician
Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...
in reference to W. E. Gladstone.


Filming

''Amar Akbar Anthony'' was Manmohan Desai's first film as an independent film producer. The film was shot over a month at
Ranjit Studios Ranjit Studios, also known as Ranjit Movietone, was an Indian film production company with studio facilities located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It produced films between 1929 and mid-1970s. The studio was founded by Chandulal Shah along wit ...
in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. Some exterior and interior shots were filmed at the Mount Mary Church in
Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...
, Mumbai and at the Don Bosco School, Wadala, Mumbai respectively. Shooting was scheduled so that the entire cast didn't have to appear together except for the climactic sequence and the title song ("Anhoni Ko Honi"), where they all perform as a group. However, the shooting went over schedule, which required
Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...
and
Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...
to shoot their scenes separately so they could leave towards the end of production to work on other films.


Analysis

''Amar Akbar Anthony'' incorporates a strong element of secularism within a Bollywood masala film. Analysts such as Virdi (2003) and Kavoori & Punathambekar (2008) opine that the themes of Desai's "magnum opus" include
religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or coun ...
and secular nationalism. Philip Lutgendorf hints that the separation of the three children on Indian Independence Day is akin to the
Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
. Similarly,
Vijay Mishra Vijay Chandra Mishra (born 4 May 1945) is an academic, author and cultural theorist from Fiji. He is currently a professor at Murdoch University, Australia. Academic and professional career Born in Suva, Fiji on 4 May 1945 to Hari Mishra ...
(2013) argues that the film reaffirmed India's "liberal ethos." The three religions represented by the titular characters are the "pillars of the nation:" when they work together, they can restore life to their mother (represented when they donate blood during the opening title sequence) and beat any evil (symbolised by their common villain). The characters' reunion with their parents completes the
nationalistic Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: T ...
allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
, suggesting that what was lost at independence can be regained. The film's masala style is evident in its plot and characters. According to Varia (2013), ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' was conceived as a tragedy but later incorporated many other genres. Dickson (2016) commented that the film featured a plot which would "give even Shakespeare migraines." Some authors also highlight the archetypal character of the suffering and self-sacrificing mother (Roy). However,
Dinesh Raheja Dinesh Raheja (born 31 March 1957) is an Indian author, columnist, TV scriptwriter, film historian. Raheja has been writing on cinema for over 40 years. In his long and prolific career as a writer, he has worked as the Editor of ''Movie magazine' ...
concludes that "ultimately, the show belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. In a tailor-made role, he has the audience in stitches. Despite his playing an implausible character, one quickly surrenders one's reservations in favour of a rollicking romp."


Music

''Amar Akbar Anthonys soundtrack was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, with lyrics penned by
Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He was nominated for the Filmfare award for Best lyricist a total of 40 times, resulting in 4 wins. Early life Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Prakash Vaid) was born ...
. It proved as popular and successful as the film itself. The vinyl record, released on
Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, was the first LP that was coloured pink. Some of the biggest names in the Indian music industry of the time provided vocals for the film's songs. Four leading playback singers
Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...
,
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...
,
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...
and
Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...
, sang together for the first and only occasion in their careers on "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyar." In this song Kishore sang for Amitabh Bachchan, Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor, Mukesh for Vinod Khanna while Mangeshkar sang for Shabana Azmi, Neetu Singh, and Parveen Babi. The film also features a comical ''
filmi qawwali Filmi qawwali ( ur, فلمی قوٌالی. bn, ফিল্মি কাওয়ালি, hi, फ़िल्मी क़व्वाली) is a form of qawwali music found in the Lollywood, Dhallywood, Tollywood, and Bollywood film industr ...
'' entitled "Parda Hai Parda" ("There Is a Veil"), sung by Rafi. Other musical legends who worked on the film include
Mahendra Kapoor Mahendra Kapoor (9 January 1934 – 27 September 2008) was an Indian playback singer. In a long career spanning decades, his repertoire included popular songs such as ''Chalo ekbaar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono'' ( Gumrah) and ''Neele Gaga ...
and Shailendra Singh.


Release

The Emergency Period delayed the release of several of
Manmohan Desai Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmaker of the 70s and 80s. Desai is now considered one of most influential film director of Bollywood and a pionee ...
's films. As a result, four of Desai's films, '' Dharam Veer'', ''
Chacha Bhatija ''Chacha Bhatija'' () is a 1977 Indian Bollywood comedy drama film, written by Salim–Javed and directed by Manmohan Desai. It was the year's fourth hit for Manmohan Desai ('' Amar Akbar Anthony'', '' Dharam Veer'' and '' Parvarish'' are the ot ...
'', '' Parvarish,'' and ''Amar Akbar Anthony'', were released in 1977. Incidentally, all of these would be amongst the top-grossing films of the year.


Marketing

For the film's marketing,
eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from the material first used) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellum). Erasers have ...
s with the images of Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan were sold to students. Posters, postcards, and song booklets of the film were sold in shops. Colorful vests and metal crosses that were similar to the ones worn by Bachchan in the film achieved popularity.


Reception

The film grossed at the Indian box office and was the highest-grossing Bollywood film at the Indian Box Office for the year 1977. It has since been regarded as one of the most iconic films of Indian cinema.


Accolades


Bibliography

* * *


Further reading

*


References


External links

* {{Manmohan Desai 1970s Hindi-language films 1970s masala films 1977 films Films about organised crime in India Films directed by Manmohan Desai Films scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal Films set in Mumbai Films shot in Mumbai Hindi films remade in other languages Secularism in India