Are something I quite enjoy playing, mostly ones with card combinations as the theme.
The reason was there have been many times while playing where I have been backed into a corner while playing card and for my friends to sneer and say’’so bacchu (kiddo) what do you have up your sleeve?’’. All I would do is smile, and show them the best combination that one could have, the three Aces or AAA. The bemoaned looks on the faces of my opponents, and the sweetness of defeat all culminated in us laughing our heads off.
That was the effect of having the magical 3 A combo, sadnes or happiness all culminated to laughter, at luck, and at life ( weird analogy I know but the weirdos that me and my friends are, we just need an excuse to laugh, I wont be surprised if sane people didnt understand the joke).
Is it just me, or has any body else also noticed that the letter A, when combined, thrice, has given us some of the most laugh out loud good times at the movies (Case in point: Andaz Apna Apna, and Amar Akbar Anthony). Im not superstitious but maybe, this combination is the winning one when it comes to entertainment, just like the three Ace combo is the winning one at cards.........
Most late 1970’s movie were degenerating into mindless and predictable fare, however this was one of the exceptions which kept me engrossed, despite the two factors being in full play.
With that said lets go on to the review of this all time classic.
Manmohan Desai’s Amar Akbar Anthony, or AAA for short, was one of the mega successes of its time, since it had three of the top stars of those days and one director who until his latter day movies knew the pulse of the public and directed with the panache that the everyman enjoys.
The Story:
A very hackneyed and predictable story, with the usual ’lost n found’ formula behind it, lets just say that the story is well known, but the treatment of the religious factors differed it(more on that later).
Asides from that the story is well known enough, and is just a mere ground for fun to ensue, so I will not waste your time by indulging in it.(I would rather not talk about stories in length, as the more unpredictable, the more fun)
Pros:
Although the story is old for these times, those days it was more novel and marketable and this film was definitely the best interpretation of the theme. The comedy, and the interplay, without too much false melodrama ( a bonus since Nirupa Roy, the queen of melodrama was present ) made this a joy to watch. The chemistry of the three males did nothing to stop matters and in fact raised this movie above by infinite notches.
a few memorable sequences:
Amar and Anthony fighting in Anthony’s backyard, and Anthony’s subsequent humiliation.
Akbar and Anthony’s confrontations with Tayyab Ali.
The ’’My name is Anthony Gonzalves’’ number and Anthony’s berating of himself in the mirror after the song when he gets beat up by Zybisco.
The illogical yet entertaining climax, where the non violent Akbar, plays the accordion while the other two heroes beat up the hoods.
Memorable Dialogues:
Although most people would know these dialogues by heart, I feel this review ( or any) are incomplete without them.
Anthony: ’’ Life mein aadmi do ich time aisa bhaagta hai, Olympic ka race ho ya police ka case ho. Tum kaaike liye bhaagta hai bhai?’’
the dialogs between Amar and Akbar before their fight in the mohalla.
the entire mirror sequence
Do send me some more if you remember as I am unable to recall a lot of them now.
Cons:
The story, and of course the whole sequence, where Nirupa Roy regains her sight, although I guess it can be forgiven, given the illogical nature of the film.
Performances:
This movie would have been mediocre, had it not been for the tantalizing performances of the cast in this movie, the powerhouse of talent delivered and excelled even themselves in this masala affair.
Parveen Babi As Jenny: She didnt have much of a role, but she did exude the perfect amount of oomph and spunk to portray the fiery spirit of Jenny.
Neetu Singh As Salma: I am a great fan of this actress who retired much before her peak, her scene stealing ability may not have been at its optimum here, but her charm and exuberance more than made up for that. Anyway any movie she was in with Rishi, their chemistry, made everything worth watching.
Vinod Khanna as Amar: The most subdued of the three, this iron man was perfect for the strong silent character that he played, with the utmost sincerity in the wackiest of goings on. He was memorable in his confrontations with Amitabh ( their screen chemistry if probably one of the best male pairs I have seen ), and as well in the climax.
Rishi Kapoor: A mind blowing actor, who because of his looks and the popularity of Amitabh perhaps, never was able to break away successfully from his lighthearted image. However his timing and charm was probably the best in the business and he has made many a character his own. In Akbar, he invested just the amount of sensitivity and boisterousness, to make many relate to him and played to the gallery with aplomb, endearing himself to the masses. He was exemplary with Mukri and Amitabh, the way they played off each other was admirable.
Amitabh Bachchan: However, the scene and screen stealer in this enterprise was this superstar. Although he has done many a memorable role in his career, this definitely ranks amongst his best. People often associate Aamir Khan and Anil Kapoor as the tapori’s, but this was in my mind the first bindaas tapori act on screen, with the language and style becoming a staple for the young generation transcending time ( I plead guilty to this habit of speaking in a lot of bambaiya ). Just watch him in every scene that he is in, his effortless comic style and screen presence just engulf you. Even though he admittedly is an ardent admirer of Dilip Kumar, and reminded one of him in the mirror scene ( Dilip did something like that in Kohinoor, although that scene was copied frame by fram by Amitabh in Mard), it is to his credit that he is remembered for that scene after all these years and also matched up to Dilip in that scene as well. Truly one of the best performances I have seen.
The rest of the cast did not have much of a meaty role, but all did justice to them, (special mention to Mukri, as Tayyab Ali, and Pran as Kishen Lal, ) with the exception of Shabana Azmi who seemed a tad uncomfortable in this movie.
Direction:
I never considered Manmohan Desai an awesome technician, yet his charm was that he was a peoples director and made movies which the people enjoyed, and me being unabashedly from the masses, I enjoyed his movies quite a bit. Him and Amitabh did memorable movies and undoubtedly brought the best out in one another. Over here he handles the madcap proceedings with a plomb, he was in his element, and exuded skill in a movie which deserved the talents of a good director.
Overall:
I can only say that there will be a very small minority who havent seen this gem, and if you havent I suggest that you do so right away and brighten up your day. To me this movie also de monstrated the unity which Humanity preaches and that all religions should be respected and are equal, also that at the end of the day, being a Hindu, or Muslim or Christian only is of some value, if you are a good human too, since all these religions preach the same essence, of humanity. With that said, the USP of this film is definitely hilarity and entertainment, which I always remember as I get down to another round of cards, waiting for the three A’s to brighten up the proceedings.
If you have undergone so much torture and read this, then pls do some more and com