Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)

            I feel like simply starting off this little venture of mine with every “first” that I can think of. Yesterday was my first conscious encounter with a Bollywood movie, today I’ll show you my first encounter with Mr. Bachchan as a young man, and my first encounter with an old school “masala” movie. The masterpiece and blockbuster from 1977, from director Manmohan Desi, Amar Akbar Anthony.

            I think I have watched this movie a couple of hundred of times, and if you ask me to watch it again, I’ll do it happily. In praising it, I have absolutely no clue where to start! But be warned, I will make fun of Vinod Khanna, who plays Amar. And express nothing but love for Rishi Kapoor as the youngest brother Akbar. In poking fun, I do have a few things to poke fun at…that aren’t Mr. Khanna.

            The story, I think, teaches each and every one of us religious tolerance. In a world where religion has become the sword with which we attack each other, where holy wars are declared on whims, in a world where my God is better than yours…Amar Akbar Anthony stands as a beacon of light that proves separating my religion from yours is an idiotic notion. India itself is famous for its ability to tolerate any and all religions, then this movie comes from the country as lesson of its lovely message of respect and tolerance.

Anthony (Bachchan), Amar (Khanna), Kapoor (Akbar)

 The plot is about three brothers, Amar (Vinod Khanna), Akbar (Rishi Kapoor) and the memorable Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan), who are separated from each other at a young age, adopted by three different families with different religions. Amar is found by a Hindu police officer, Akbar by a Muslim tailor and Anthony by a Catholic priest. Their mother is alive but blind, their father driven mad by vengeance against his former boss for ripping his family apart. Basically, nobody knows who the other person is, and the plot is the story of how they move towards each other, and how blood is thicker then water.

The songs in this movie…they’re all on my iPod, and I listen to them happily. But the staple of this movie, and the tune that has become legend to those who love Hindi cinema, is Anthony’s introduction, “My Name is Anthony Gonsalves”, where he arrives in a giant egg at an Easter party to impress Jenny (played by the….eccentric Parveen Babi). Two songs in the movie, that are performed by Rishi Kapoor as Akbar, with Mohammed Rafi’s singing talents, are also delightful. 

            

The “parda hai parda” number with Anthony (Mr. B.) sitting on the floor in red leather, and giving into bursts of passionate and brotherly encouragement, never gets old for me. There’s such energy in all the songs, good ol’ fashioned Hindi songs you can easily lose yourself listening to.

        Before we move on to gushing about Anthony however, I do have two things I need to make fun of.  Jenny’s bodyguard, Zibesko as portrayed by Yusuf Khan, is ridiculous. More than ridiculous. The scene with Anthony at the Easter party where he keeps saying “Jenny you leave me I show this man” cracks me up every time. I can’t say if he’s being comical or not but it cracks me up nonetheless. And…I don’t know what it is about Mr. Khanna, maybe it’s his mustache, or his failed attempt at looking “cool” but I can’t, for the life of me, take him seriously.

            Now!

            On to Anthony Gonsalves.To hook anyone up to this movie, just show them the song named after him. Or the drunk scene where he talks to himself. “Steady…s-s-steady”. On his blog recently, Mr. Bachchan recalled how he had done the entire scene in one take. And when you watch that particular scene with that snippet of information in mind, you will see just how fantastic he is. 

The scene also helped me learn a new phrase, “daroo bohot kharab chees hai” (booze is a very bad thing).

 The character of Anthony captures Mr. Bachchan’s style at the time. The cool, calm, gold-hearted thug. A Robinhood of sorts. As a Catholic, the relationship Anthony has with the Virgin Mary, his partner as he calls her, make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Anthony is one of Mr. B’s greatest characters, and a character that is often paid tribute to.