हाथी मेरे साथी

Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) : Brief Review -

Rajesh Khanna's biggest blockbuster of the 70s decade is an evergreen emotional rollercoaster. Can animal-based films be such tearjerkers? Pet films have a long history, mostly because they were emotionally appealing. Be it the modern films like Charlie 777 (2022) or Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009) or Hollywood's golden era classics like "Lassie Came Home" (1943), animated flick "The Lady and the Tramp" (1955), or coming-of-age drama "Old Yeller" (1957), we all cried while watching these films. But Haathi Mere Saathi has epic "Nafarat Duniya Ko," sung by Mohammed Rafi, man. How can any other film challenge that? The lyrics actually put humans at shame for their inhumanity towards animals. They are more loyal than humans, and that's why the lyricist says, "Pyaar ki duniya me khush rehna mere yaar." This is beyond any emotional experience. Beyond a tearjerker segment. The director has so many things to tell and so beautifully. Tanuja tells Ramu, "Jab tak tu Zinda hai me uss Ghar me wapas nahi aaungi," and she actually returns after he is dead. The doctor says, "Bhagwan pe bharosa rakho," and the next moment you have four elephants bathing Lord Ganesha's idol, and they start praying. Which pet/animal-driven film has such brilliant scenes, tell me? Convincing audiences with such films is the most difficult job, and that's why we don't have many blockbusters made on such topics. HMS tops the list. One of the major reasons was superstar Rajesh Khanna's presence and super hit songs, I agree, but convincing Rajesh Khanna to sign a sort of remake of a flop film in his peak period was a task itself. Writers Salim-Javed, director, and producer not only convinced Kaka but also the audience to make it a blockbuster film. It tells a lot about the impact the film must have left on the public. It just leaves you in so much pain and so many emotions that it just stays in your memory.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Review By Kamal K

There are few movies in industry dedicated to human-animal bonding. Tears roll out by seeing care of Elephants towards the lead actor. The movie depicts the struggle for balance of love for animals and family. Surely this Rajesh Khanna classic is a must watch.

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.

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.