Amar Akbar Anthony: Masala, Madness and Manmohan Desai

by Sidharth Bhatia

Even forty years after it was made, Amar Akbar Anthony remains the final word in film entertainment, which many film-makers aspire to, but seldom manage to replicate. Well-known journalist and author Sidharth Bhatia goes behind the scenes of one of the most loved Hindi films of all time to unravel the story of its making and what it means to Indian cinema. Talking to various people associated with the film - cameraman Peter Pereira, scriptwriter Kader Khan, composer Pyarelal and stars Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan - who fondly remember how Manmohan Desai created this magical movie, he has written a book as entertaining as the film itself, a tribute both to the iconic film and to the incredible vision of its maker.

148 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[E.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 A year later in 1978, the film was remade as 'Akbar Amar Anthony' in Pakistan in which the brothers get separated at partition and then Amar and Anthony convert to Islam after re-union as grown-ups. It flopped :)
A well-written entertaining book on a v.entertaining movie. There r d usual anecdotes and analysis etc
"I am not Satyajit Ray ! Itna perfection nahi chahiye, just complete the shot." - Manmohan Desai
Have always thought that the Manmohan Desais, David Dhawans, Prakash Mehras of the world have been unfairly looked down upon by "intellectuals" and reviewers. The book tries to set the record straight.

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Defies common sense, unapologetically absurd but undeniably entertaining.

This would be the best way to sum up the 70s blockbuster Amar Akbar Anthony. As someone who has watched it innumerable times growing up and cackled gleefully every single time, reading this book was a delight.

It delves into the method, magic and madness of star-director Manmohan Desai, his weird juxtaposition of attention to religious sentiments and complete suspension of logic, how Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor wrongly assumed that they were being roped into a historical film, the stories of the men behind the camera and their attention to detail and special effects in an era still bereft of CGI and how a canny director cosseted the egos of the three biggest stars of the decade without compromising on entertainment.

Bolstered by some of the best character artists of the time, the magic pen of Kader Khan who captured Amar’s cop stoicism, Akbar’s sufi musings and Anthony’s saucy Bambaiyya hinglish, some hilarious scene-fillers ( a bashed-up, sozzled Anthony castigating his mirror image in a memorable monologue) and the promise of non-stop drama makes Amar Akbar Anthony an all-time classic.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok in parts

[Balachander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I'm being a little unfair with this rating. I guess for someone who hasn't listened to the author talk about this book or to someone new to Hindi films, there might be some moments of interest. For me, much as I love the movie (nonsensical though it is), the book had absolutely nothing to go for it. In part this has to do with the fact that both the book and the director are very uncomplicated. There isn't really much beyond what is visible. So there are some obvious passages about the Manmohan Desai school of secularism, an entirely unnecessary chapter long recap of the story, some tired bits about the thali like masala movie formula (with a bit of everything ). Perhaps the only new bits I got from the book was about Manmohan Desai's father hiring Jinnah to fight a case against Paramount pictures. I had the same reservations about another book in the series, Jai Arjun's book on Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. But not only was that written by a superior writer, the director also was available to provide personal insights into the making of the movie (which helped) & dare I say it, the movie also deserved serious analysis.
One thing that could have still redeemed this book and made it a worthwhile purchase for a film buff, was the presence of film memorabilia in the form of never before seen pictures from the set or outside of the director or the actors, more original posters etc. That opportunity too has been missed out with only one poster and some pics obtained from the national film archive of India.
At the end of a thankfully quick read (about 45 minutes), I'm left to wonder if a blog post would not have served the same purpose as this book. Might have been more effective too.

[Raghav · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amar Akbar Anthony is a classic film that deserved a little bit more serious attention than what it gets in Masala, Madness and Manmohan Desai.

Recommendation: Only for die-hard fans of the film, and while the book will make you want to re-watch the film, you will have to keep your cool while reading it. Medication to control your blood pressure is advised before commencing to read the book (Please consult your doctor before taking any medication).

Detailed review - http://tickertalksfilm.blogspot.in/20...