Haathi Mere Saathi

I decided to watch the film on TV because I understood that it had been extremely famous in Bulgaria in the 1970s and lots of people came out from the cinema crying.So I was curious to see "Haathi Mere Saathi" and I really enjoyed it.

The protagonist is Raj Kumar-a young man whose life had been saved by four elephants when he was a kid.Since then he loves them and doesn't think of them as "animals" but as real "friends".He falls in love with the beautiful Tanu.Unfortunately,Raj Kumar loses his fortune and becomes a poor man.But Tanu follows him and they struggle with life with the help of the faithful elephants.

Yes,the story looks naive.But what's more important is that this film made something that few films are capable of nowadays-it proved the great power of friendship and love in a really touching way.The songs are wonderful and the animals are trained incredibly well.Undoubtedly a highly recommendable film!

I first saw this film in India when I was 5 years old. I remembered that I really liked it then, and was quite pleased to find it 30 years later via the Internet.

I'm glad to say that it has lost none of its magic. The story of Raju and his elephant buddy Ramoo makes for a truly unique film. The best way I can sum it up, without giving too much away, is that it is reminiscent of older Disney films, but with a uniquely Indian feel. Suffice to say, there are not many countries in the world where a story of a man growing up with elephants could be told in such an effective manner. The trained animal sequences alone are worthy of films such as "The Bear".

With regards to the inevitable singing and dancing in a Bollywood production, the songs are wonderful and there are far fewer of them than in standard Bollywood fare. Additionally, as opposed to the more modern Indian films, the dancing is refreshingly non-professional and consists mostly of the hero and heroine scampering about and waving their arms - which only adds to the overall charm of this film.

Now, kill me if I can remember anything in particular about this movie. Beside the fact that it was 3 hours long and I spilled tones of tears during that time. No other film had made me cry so much for no reason at all. There is some hidden sentimentality in human species that makes him cry - most often some sad event of Bereavement - but in cinema there are instances unexplained. So it was the soundtrack of this Bollywood movie that has remained unchallenged hit for all times in Hindu cinema.

My personal memories from 40 years ago reveal the phenomenon of full cinema saloons with standing people interspersed between rows. Most were Gypsies of various age. That doesn't mean that Bulgaria (that's me) as a full member of European Union is Gypsy state. Most of them are of mixed origins, some of them cohabit with the Turks minority and at least half of that vagrant population is Christian. It's a matter of cultural adaptation and educational policy.

I see from the release info that "Haathi Mere Saathi" (1971) was projected only in Portugal and Bulgaria. Gosh, why don't you see it in America as well. Hundred percent guarantee that the end scene where elephant is being shot in the eye would heal your heart. Actors / actresses are beautiful by any standard and cars are fashionable. Thank you!

This movie is one the biggest hits of Super Star Rajesh Khanna and is a movie which made him popular with kids who grew up seeing his future movies. This movie is about the relationship/bondage between man and animal. Elephants play an equally important role with Rajesh Khanna in the movie and the movie revolves around them. Tanuja playing the heroine also contributes. The movie has excellent music by Laxmikant Pyarelal who have composed some great hits for this movie sung by Kishore Kumar. One song of Mohammad Rafi is a class. The movie is a must see for movie watchers of all ages and especially the kids will enjoy this classic.

As a kid, I loved Haathi Mere Saathi. Today, I'm not particularly eager to revisit it though it's definitely a memorable picture. The film portrays a friendship between a young orphaned and wealthy man and his group of elephants, who had once saved him when he was lost in a jungle. The film was generally well made and several Indian movies were inspired by this story afterwards. The script is well written and the movie has its share of enjoyable moments even if the concept itself is hard to believe. The songs, the proceedings and the development were pretty fun to watch, despite being a bit melodramatic at points. Rajesh Khanna stars as Raj and he is a good hero for this film. This was the year when his performance in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand wowed audiences. His work here does not even deserve a comparison to the latter, but he is the main reason the movie works, and frankly speaking I've never been a big fan of his films and liked very few of his performances. Tanuja is very pretty as his wife. The supporting cast is good but the elephants are those who leave a mark. Their loyalty and wisdom were funny and inspiring at the same time. Haathi Mere Saathi is a nice film. It has many moments of comedy, drama and heartwarming fun, and despite having its flaws, it's worth watching, particularly for lovers of Hindi films.