| Amar Akbar Anthony | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Manmohan Desai |
| Produced by | Manmohan Desai |
| Written by | Smt. Jeevanprabha M. Desai Kader Khan Prayag Raj Pushpa Sharma K.K. Sukla |
| Starring | Amitabh Bachchan Vinod Khanna Rishi Kapoor Neetu Singh Parveen Babi Shabana Azmi Nirupa Roy Pran |
| Music by | Laxmikant-Pyarelal |
| Cinematography | Peter Pereira |
| Editing by | Kamlakar Karkhanis |
| Release date(s) | 1977 |
| Running time | 185 mins |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Amar Akbar Anthony (Devnagari: अमर अकबर एन्थोनी) is a 1977 Bollywood film about three brothers separated during their childhood who grew up in three homes, adopting three religions. It was the biggest blockbuster of 1977[1] and won several Filmfare awards.[2]
The film was directed by Manmohan Desai and starred three actors: Amitabh Bachchan (as Anthony Gonsalves), Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor. Each of the heroes had an affiliation with a heroine; these women were played by Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi and Neetu Singh. Nirupa Roy, Pran and Jeevan played supporting roles. The music was written by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Kishore Kumar sang for Amitabh Bachchan, and Mohammed Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor. The soundtrack was one of Mukesh's last soundtracks with Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Anand Bakshi was the lyricist. This movie proved to be a golden jubilee at the box office.
The film was later remade in Telugu as Ram Robert Rahim (1980)[3] and in Malayalam as John Jaffer Janardhanan (1982).
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Kishanlal (Pran), a chauffeur, takes the blame for a fatal hit-and-run accident committed by his mob boss employer, Robert (Jeevan), on the assurance that his family's income will be tripled and their welfare looked after. He returns from prison to find his wife Bharati (Nirupa Roy) suffering from tuberculosis and his three sons starving. Seeking help from Robert for the sake of his family, he is ridiculed, humiliated and repudiated, until he turns on Robert and tries to kill him. Making his escape, Kishanlal inadvertently takes a car containing a shipment of gold bullion. Robert's goons give chase.
Kishanlal goes home to rescue his family — only to find his wife's suicide note. Unknown to him, she fails and is struck blind. He leaves his sons in a public park (at the foot of a statue of Gandhi) while he draws off the pursuing goons. In the car chase that follows he crashes, is thrown clear of the wreck, and discovers the gold. But by the time he returns to the park with his riches, his three children have vanished. Amar, the oldest, has been adopted by a Hindu policeman; a Muslim tailor adopts the youngest and names him Akbar; and a Catholic priest, finding the middle son asleep on the steps of his church, fosters him and names him Anthony.
In revenge, Kishanlal kidnaps Robert's daughter Jenny and raises her as his niece, using the gold to destroy Robert's business and set himself up as mob boss instead.
Amar (Vinod Khanna) becomes a policeman like his adoptive father; the Muslim Akbar (Rishi Kapoor) becomes a singer; the middle brother, Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan), becomes a likable, socially conscious scamp who runs quasi-legal operations and makes God his 'partner' by donating half his income to charity. The three meet when they donate blood for an accident victim, unaware that they are related — or that the recipient is their biological mother Bharati.
Their lives become entangled in an incredible web of coincidences and furious action sequences — interspersed with songs — when Amar's adopted father is seriously wounded and Anthony falls in love with Jenny, Robert's long-lost daughter. Because of it his adoptive father, the priest, is murdered. In their pursuit of justice their paths cross again until, combining efforts, the brothers discover both the culprit and their mutual heritage.
In addition to the ongoing feud between Robert and Kishanlal, each son meets and courts — with greater or lesser difficulty — their love interests. When the grieving mother regains her sight at a Dewali festival in honor of Sai Baba, one by one the family is re-united and Robert, who caused their suffering, is finally imprisoned.
The soundtrack was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and the lyrics were penned by the veteran Anand Bakshi. The soundtrack of the movie proved as popular and successful as the movie itself. The vocals of the songs again have been given by some of the biggest names in the Indian music industry: Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, and Amitabh Bachchan (sang in the song "My Name is Anthony Gonsalves").
The vinyl record was released on Polydor and was the first coloured LP: It was pink.
| Song | Singer(s) |
|---|---|
| "Parda Hai Parda" | Mohammad Rafi |
| "My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves" | Kishore Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan |
| "Humko Tumse" | Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, and Lata Mangeshkar |
| "Tayyab Ali" | Mohammad Rafi and chorus |
| "Shirdi Wale" | Mohammad Rafi |
| "Anhony ko honi" | Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, and Shailendra Singh |
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