Welcome back to the series of filmi safar on our favorite legendary actor Shri Amitabh Bachchan. Today we talk about the Classic film Amar Akbar Anthony, a film that started Amitabh Bachchan’s flourishing career in the Hindi Film Industry. This was a multi starrer that created a special niche as the lead actor. Besides Amitabh Bachchan in the pivotal role, there were other top actors like Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi all in the lead roles who were much loved by the audience. Nirupa Roy and Pran had significant roles as well besides, Jeevan as in the negative role. The 1977 film with super hit songs and was one of the highest grossing films of the season and audience and fans remember the film till date and people still watch it again and again.
This film was the beginning of the long association between Amitabh Bachchan and the duo music directors Lakshmikant Pyarelal. They had received their Best Music Direction Award for this film.
The film also got famous for Amitabh Bachchan’s role as Anthony, which had lot of humor as well stunt fights and his one liners that got very popular among his fans. Amar Akbar Anthony started the trend of multi starrer films and is also considered as one of the Masala films as they call in Bollywood. It had a mix of everything, emotions, family values, romance, comedy and action. The film earned not only at the Box office but it was one of the films that Amitabh was highest paid during that year.
A Manmohan Desai film Amar Akbar Anthony was shot simultaneously with the shooting of Parvarish, again an Amitabh starrer film in the same studio. Both films had almost similar star cast so it was convenient for the actors and the directors. In 1977, there were other released like Dharam Veer, Chacha Bhatija, Parvarish besides Amar Akbar Anthony. Amitabh was to essay the role of Amitabh Fernandes but Laxmikant Pyarelal suggested it should be changed to Anthony Gonsalves. Anthony Gonsalves was one of the very famous musical composers and music arrangers in 1930. Hence the director changed Amitabh’s name in the film from Anthony Fernandes to Anthony Gonsalves. The name was associated with his super hit song in his cameo role with a top hat leaping out of a giant Easter Egg to assemblage the lyrics, ‘My Name is Anthony Gonsalves.!!!
Manmohan Desai was so happy with the name change that was so apt for the song. Thereafter he made many films like Naseeb, Desh Premee, Mard, Toofan and Amitabh Bachchan’s career graph rose with these films. Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977 is said to have earned 7.25 crores considering it was almost 45 years ago, the said figure is enormous!!
