Amar Akbar Anthony

Is a family film 3 sons separated from parents, finally 3 sons have to be with parents. Hindu Muslim Christianity teaches love

Amar Akbar Anthony is pure Hindi film entertainment, an interesting lost-and-found story, and a wonderful message of unity and religious pluralism through the story of three brothers who are separated in childhood and grow up in different families, each adopting a different religion: Amar (Hinduism), Akbar (Islam) and Anthony (Christianity). The film is a true Hindi mainstream masala film, it has comedy and drama, some melodrama, action and romance, good music, song and dance, and altogether three hours of wholesome entertainment for the entire family. All of it wouldn't be as effective though if not for its soul, which is evident in every frame. Manmohan Desai does a great job directing this film, giving it heart and making it much more than just another formula film. The plot is twisted and moves at an incredibly fast pace, and the viewers are kept on the edge of their seats as the proceedings unfold.

The film's three main players work well together and individually. Their stories are interesting and involving. It is Amitabh Bachchan who gives the film its comic tone with his brilliant performance in one of his most memorable roles as Anthony. His presence is impeccable. Vinod Khanna is excellent as Amar, successfully creating a tough screen persona. Rishi Kapoor, as Akbar, is very competent in a role that suits him to a T. Among the leading ladies, they're all pretty and convincing, and have great chemistry with their male pairings. Parveen Babi was always very good opposite Bachchan, the same is for the bubbly Neetu Singh with her real-life husband Rishi, while Shabana Azmi plays against type in a glamorous and slightly insignificant role and she is stunning. The film has a myriad of great character actors, with Pran's performance shining through as the trio's father. All of them make Amar Akbar Anothony, both the characters and the film, a treasure to behold.

Amar Akbar Anthony (AAA) cannot be rated AAA for the movie it is but anybody can rate AAA for Amitabh Bachchan's acting abilities. When Amitabh plays he can put all the cast of any movie aside & he alone reign it. This was evident for the umpteenth time by the supreme star he is. His comedy was superb, his command over Hindi & English are so effortlessly shown. His tapori Hindi of a Bombaiyya Christian suited him so well, no other actor including Rajesh Khanna (another superb star) could not have played so effortlessly. The movie is considered a classic because it was the trendsetter of those times, then a lot of movies like AAA came with different casts, none had the quality of AAA and the versatility of Amitabh Bachchan. Cheap imitations make this movie a deja vu feeling for many, as so many came & failed. The audience those days had a fresh feel with this story which was based on deceit, thrill, comedy, drama, chase & good songs. When you finish watching the movie you will only be appreciating Amitabh's acting ability. Without him or a lesser hero this movie would surely have failed. With him it was a blockbuster.

Amar, Akbar and Anthony are separated from their family and from each other as small children, and each is raised separately and in a different faith. Amar is raised a Hindu and grows up to become a police officer, Akbar is raised a Muslim and grows up to become a Qawaali singer whilst Anthony is raised Christian and grows up to be a small time hoodlum.

Most of the movie is focussed on the character of Anthony, which is fine by me since he is played by Amitabh Bachchan - surely the most charismatic actor India has ever produced.

As adults, none of the brothers have any idea of their familial origins, but believe their parents to be dead. To make matters worse, each parent thinks the other is dead and both think their children are dead. It must be said that they didn't go to great lengths to discover this, but the film would hardly have worked if they had so that's one piece of disbelief that has to be suspended. It's not the last one, as the film is wholly guided by a series of coincidences that gradually has the various members of the family crossing each others paths. I suppose one is encouraged to believe that these coincidences are orchestrated by the fates or a higher power, but putting it down to dramatic convenience worked just as well for me.

Also brought into the plot are the loves of the three brothers, for the requisite romance and feminine wisdom. The boys are lucky enough to have secured the affections of a bevy of beauties, and the actresses add a nice touch of glamour and colour to the film. In addition to and intersecting with these we have the evil villain of the piece, carrying the terribly intimidating name of "Robert".

At 175 minutes, Amar Akbar Anthony has plenty of time to flesh out its characters and develop the plot in a well paced fashion. The movie goes through many different moods and emotions, but after the first 15 minutes of melodrama the tone is generally kept light and pleasant.

As well as the romance and drama, the movie has a few moments where it shifts into action territory - Anthony especially has a knack for getting into a scuffle. The fights are very imaginatively choreographed but terribly executed, looking very staged and faked. This all adds to the fun of them though. There's also the songs of course, though not too many - especially in the first half of the film. Some of these are very catchy and the dance choreography cheerfully engaging.

Although it has something of an ensemble cast, there is no question that the movie belongs to Amitabh. His character is the most complicated and interesting, and his performance the most subtle and engaging. He gets all the best lines, too. He won the "best actor" award for this role, and it is largely for his performance that the movie is considered an Indian classic.

Like many Indian movies that run in the three hour range, there's something in AAA for everybody, and Amitabh's charisma especially means that it never grows wearisome. Although the first half an hour didn't have me terribly engaged, the film does just keep getting better and better (and more imaginative) as it progresses. I had to constantly keep upgrading my rating for the film as I watched. By the time the movie reaches its climax, it has managed to weave everything together so well that I was thoroughly delighted to be watching it.

Recommended!

This film is a true Bollywood classic. The story is wonderful and quick moving. The acting, brilliant. It is a must see for anyone interested in Bollywood. The film follows a standard Bollywood format,i.e. family tragedy and the ability to overcome. Add that splash of romance and this movie has it all.