Amar Prem: A Box Office Sensation That Captured Hearts

This isn't just a film; it's an experience. This Bollywood classic cast such a spell on the box office that it stole everyone's sleep. Details are inside.

Bollywood Classic Movie: The 1970s in Bollywood belonged to Rajesh Khanna. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, and Shakti Samanta delivered many memorable films during that era. After the immense success of 'Aradhana' in 1969, Shakti Samanta came up with another film in 1972, titled 'Amar Prem'. Shakti Samanta himself directed and produced this film. Released after the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the film became a silver jubilee hit.

The Film's Story

The story of the film was written by Vibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay, while the screenplay was penned by Arvind Mukherjee. The dialogues were written by Ramesh Pant. The story of 'Amar Prem' was inspired by the 1970 Bengali film 'Nishi Padma', which starred Uttam Kumar and Savitri Chatterjee. Shakti Samanta bought the rights to 'Nishi Padma' and decided to make it in Hindi.

Rajesh Khanna played the role of Anand Babu in the film. Initially, the character's name was Uttar Kumar, but Rajesh Khanna didn't like the name and changed it to Anand Babu. To get into the character of Anand Babu, Rajesh Khanna watched 'Nishi Padma' 24 times. Bengali writer Arvind Mukherjee did not know Hindi, so he wrote the script of 'Amar Prem' in English, which was then translated into Hindi by Ramesh Pant.

Sharmila Tagore After Motherhood

This was Sharmila Tagore's first film after becoming a mother. When Sharmila heard the script, she found the character of 'Pushpa' similar to the iconic film 'Mother India', so she immediately agreed to do the film. Rajesh Khanna had become a superstar after 'Aradhana' and 'Kati Patang', so Shakti Samanta thought he wouldn't do a film where the female character was dominant.

Therefore, he approached Raj Kumar and signed him. When Rajesh Khanna got wind of this, he went to Shakti Samanta's office and expressed his desire to work in the film. Shakti Samanta told Rajesh Khanna, "Your diary is full of dates, where will you find time for my film?" Then Rajesh Khanna promised to give four hours to 'Amar Prem' along with shooting for other films.

In the Role of 'Anand Babu'

Rajesh Khanna went to Kolkata to prepare for the role of 'Anand Babu' and stayed at Uttam Kumar's house for several days. The film was shot at Natraj Studio in Mumbai. The film's dialogue, "I Hate Tears," became an all-time classic dialogue for 'Pushpa', which is still very popular today.

There was also an interesting anecdote related to the famous song 'Chingari Koi Bharke...', where the film's shooting was complete, but Shakti Samanta liked the song so much that he decided to include it in the film and created a special scene to add the song. Later, this song created history.

The Film's Music

The music of the film was given by R.D. Burman and the songs were written by Anand Bakshi. One song of the film, 'Doli Mein Baitaike Kahar...', was sung by the famous music director S.D. Burman. In the film's songs, Rajesh Khanna showcased the magic of his voice in a unique style. A special show was held in Delhi before the film's release in 1971, but the Indo-Pak war started during that time. Later, the film was released in January 1972 and created a sensation at the box office. The film's songs, music, and dialogues became immortal and are still alive in people's hearts.