Abdullah (film)
| Abdullah | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Sanjay Khan |
| Produced by |
Asghar Ali Sanjay Khan Zarine Khan |
| Written by |
Kader Khan George Marzbetuny |
| Starring |
Raj Kapoor Sanjay Khan Zeenat Aman Danny Denzongpa |
| Music by | R.D. Burman |
| Cinematography | V. Gopi Krishna |
| Edited by | M. S. Shinde |
Production company |
Zafo Films Private Limited Productions[1] |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language |
Hindi Urdu |
| Box office | ₹14.79 crore ($15.6 million) |
Abdullah is a 1980 Indian Bollywood film that was directed by Sanjay Khan. The film starred Raj Kapoor, Sanjay Khan, Zeenat Aman and Danny Denzongpa, with Sanjeev Kumar and Farida Jalal in minor roles. The story was written by George Marzbetuny, and Kader Khan wrote the dialogues.
Plot
In an unspecified Arab country, Khaleel (Danny Denzongpa) is a dangerous outlaw bringing terror to the land. Sheikh Mohammed Al-Kamal (Sanjay Khan) is a man of honour, who helps to protect people from harm and is asked by the government to help search for Khaleel. The quest to bring Khaleel to justice becomes a personal one for the Sheikh when his wife Zainab (Zeenat Aman) is injured during a bungled kidnap attempt by Khaleel.
Abdullah (Raj Kapoor) is a devout Muslim who lives in a small hut in the middle of the desert, and looks after a well which provides water to thirsty travelers. One day a friend, Ameer(Sanjeev Kumar), informs him that Khaleel had raided a settlement nearby, killing everyone except for Yashoda (Farida Jalal), a pregnant woman. Shortly thereafter, Ameer himself is killed, a mortally wounded Yashoda gives birth to a boy, names him Krishna, asks Abdullah to care for him, and passes away. Abdullah overcomes his fears of bringing up a Hindu boy, and looks after Krishna as his own son.
One day Khaleel's magician (Bob Christo) informs him that he is going to die at the hands of Krishna. Just as the Hindu deity Krishna once slew Kansa, his maternal uncle, so also will Khaleel's life end at this Krishna's hands. Angered by this, Khaleel sets out to kill Krishna. He attacks Abdullah, abducts Krishna and readies to kill the boy to get rid of any threat against him. In response, Abdullah and the Sheikh set out to stop this and to deal with Khaleel once and for all.
Cast
- Raj Kapoor as Abdullah
- Danny Denzongpa as Khaleel
- Sanjay Khan as Sheikh Mohammed Al Qamal
- Zeenat Aman as Zainab (Sheikh Mohammed's wife)
- Sanjeev Kumar as Ameer
- Farida Jalal as Yashoda
- Mehmood as Ahmed
- Rajeev Bhatia as Krishna
- Om Prakash as Hindu Pundit
- Bob Christo as a magician in the employ of Khaleel
- Nazir Hussain as Blind man
- Kader Khan as Military Officer
- Helen as dancer
Soundtrack
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ae Khuda Har Faisla" | Kishore Kumar | 2:23 |
| 2. | "Bheega Badan Jalne Laga" | Asha Bhonsle | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Dance Music (Instrumental)" | Rahul Dev Burman | 2:29 |
| 4. | "Jashne Baharaan Mehfile Yaaraan" | Asha Bhonsle | 4:41 |
| 5. | "Allah Tera Nighebaan" | Manna Dey | 5:19 |
| 6. | "Maine Poochha Chand Se" | Mohammed Rafi | 5:09 |
| 7. | "Om Jai Jagdish Hare" | Lata Mangeshkar | 4:52 |
Box office
Abdullah grossed ₹3.4 crore at the domestic Indian box office, making it 1980's 17th highest-grossing film in India. However, the film's performance at the domestic box office was deemed below average.[2] Its domestic Indian gross is equivalent to US$4.32 million in 1980, or US$13 million (₹87 crore) in 2016.[n 1] in 1980 (US$13 million (₹87 crore)[3] in 2016)
- Soviet Union: 7.975 million SUR[n 3] (US$11.28 million,[n 4] ₹11.39 crore)[n 5] in 1983[4] (US$27 million or ₹181 crore[3] in 2016)
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Despite under-performing at the domestic Indian box office, the film became an overseas blockbuster at the Soviet box office, due to Raj Kapoor's popularity in the Soviet Union. It drew an audience of 31.9 million Soviet viewers in 1983, the highest for an Indian film that year, making it one of the top 30 most popular Indian films in the Soviet Union.[4] The film's Soviet gross amounted to 7.975 million SUR, equivalent to US$11.28 million (₹11.39 crore) in 1983, or US$27 million (₹181 crore) in 2016.[n 1]
Worldwide, Abdullah grossed US$15.6 million (₹14.79 crore) by 1983, equivalent to US$40 million (₹268 crore) in 2016.[n 1]
Notes
- 1 2 3 Abdullah: ₹14.79 crore or US$15.6 million by 1983 (₹268 crore or US$40 million in 2016)
- ↑ 7.8629 Indian rupees per US dollar in 1980<ref name='sauder'>http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf#page=3
- ↑ 31.9 million Soviet tickets sold,[4] average ticket price of 25 kopecks[5]
- ↑ 0.707 Soviet rubles per US dollar in 1983[6]
- ↑ 10.0989 Indian rupees per US dollar in 1983[7]
References
- ↑ Abdullah on IMDb
- 1 2 "Box Office 1980". Box Office India. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- 1 2 67.175856 INR per USD in 2016
- 1 2 3 Sergey Kudryavtsev. "Зарубежные популярные фильмы в советском кинопрокате (Индия)".
- ↑ Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War, page 48, Cornell University Press, 2011
- ↑ Archive of Bank of Russia http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls
- ↑ http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf#page=3