Movie: This song appeared in 1977 MKD Films’ Amar Akbar Anthony produced and directed by Manmohan Desai. The movie starred Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Mukri, Amitabh Bachchan, Parveen Babi, late Vinod Khanna, Shabana Azmi, late Nazir Hussain, late Pran, late Jeevan, late Nirupa Roy, Ranjeet and Yusuf Khan.
Robert’s (Jeevan) chauffeur Kishanlal (Pran) takes the rap for a hit and run accident by his boss because Robert assures him that his family would be taken care of. But, when he returns from the jail, he finds that his wife Bharati (Nirupa Roy) has acquired tuberculosis and his 3 sons are starving. When he confronts Robert, he is humiliated and ridiculed. Then, he tries to kill his former boss. Trying to escape, Kishanlal unintentionally takes a car with a shipment of gold biscuits. Robert’s henchmen follow him.
When Kishanlal goes home to salvage his family, he finds Bharati’s suicide note. Soon she fails in her attempt to die and becomes blind instead. This Kishanlal does not know. He leaves his sons at the foot of a Gandhi statue in a park, while he diverts the goons, who are chasing him. He crashes the car in the chase to fall away from the wreck and then discovers the gold. However, when he returns to the park with the gold, his children are nowhere in sight.
Amar is the oldest child and he is adopted by a Hindu policeman. The youngest boy is found by a Muslim tailor and he starts calling him Akbar. While the other boy is found asleep by a Catholic Priest (Nazir Hussain) on the steps of a church, he picks him up to foster him and calls him Anthony.
Kishanlal wants to avenge the loss of his family and kidnaps Robert’s daughter Jenny to raise her as his niece. He also uses the gold to destroy Robert’s illegal business and sets himself up as another criminal mob head.
Cut to many years later. Amar (Vinod Khanna) is a police officer. Akbar (Rishi Kapoor) is a singer and the other brother Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan) is an affable socially conscious rogue, running quasi-legal activities. He has made God his ‘partner’ and donates half his income to charity. The 3 brothers meet for the first time at a hospital. They donate their blood to an accident victim. But they do not know that they are related and that they are donating blood to their own mother, Bharati.
Akbar has fallen in love with Dr. Salma Ali (Neetu Singh). Amar has fallen for a petty thief troubled by circumstances Laxmi (Shabana Azmi).
Anthony falls in love with Jenny (Parveen Babi) and finds her in a club during Easter. He sings a song to attract her. She also falls in love with him. She comes to the church he lives in and confesses her love for him. By chance, he is present inside the confession box, not the father. He is cleaning the box at that time. He comes out and tells her to go with him for a date. But, her bodyguard Zibisko (Yusuf Khan) is present outside the church waiting for her.
Anthony takes her out through a different exit and they begin dating each other. Akbar buys a camera and wants to take his beloved Salma’s picture. But, Salma is controlled by her father Taiyyab Ali (Mukri), who is against Akbar. Taiyyab Ali, on the other hand, frequents a brothel. The night Akbar beckons his beloved for a photo shoot, the older man is called by his paramour Bijli (Madhumati) to meet near his home. Akbar sees this and immediately takes their picture. The next day he sings this song with some eunuchs, blackmailing the older man to marry his daughter to him.
Song: Music is by Lakshmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi.
The gist of the song is, “Taiyyab Ali is against love. The boy and the girl love each other. But, the priest is not interested in marrying them. This man is stubborn and hurts me. He does not allow my Salma to be my bride.”
Video: Cinematography is by Peter Pereira. Dance choreography is by Kamal.
The video and the music begin as Rishi Kapoor tells something to some eunuchs. Mukri is inside his shop, talking on the phone. He returns the phone receiver to its cradle and turns back in anxious alertness. He gets up and comes out holding a walking stick. Rishi Kapoor and the eunuchs are standing in front of the shop.
Rishi Kapoor begins to sing this song with the eunuchs clapping in tune with the song’s music. Neetu Singh comes out on the balcony and on seeing him becomes happy. Mukri shows his walking stick gesturing that he would hit Rishi Kapoor with it. Rishi Kapoor stands up on the parapet wall and Mukri comes to hit him.
Rishi Kapoor pulls the older man up by his walking stick. Neetu Singh runs down the staircase to meet Rishi Kapoor. But, Mukri runs to stop her, takes her back to her room and forcefully confines her there. Someone is carrying a large step ladder and Rishi Kapoor continues to sing from the top of it.
When he climbs down, Mukri also comes down to the ground floor. The eunuchs tease him about his appearance. Rishi Kapoor reveals about Mukri’s affair with an unknown woman. Mukri panics and requests him not to. Rishi Kapoor blackmails the older man. Still, the older man does not comply with the leading man’s wishes.
Mukri pays some goons to beat up Rishi Kapoor as the song continues. As they beat him up, the eunuchs run away from there. Rishi Kapoor is beaten up and thrown into a pigeon loft. Neetu Singh runs down to the rescue and the song and the video end there.
Artists: Singers are Mohammad Rafi and Mukri while the onscreen performances are by Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Mukri and others.
Cultural influence: This typically filmi song has been inspired from the qawwali style of music. The song and the artists are good. The video is watchable for the above.
