Amrapali ( Hindi आम्रपाली , Eng. Amrapali ) is an Indian historical film in Hindi directed by Lekh Tandon , released in 1966 . The main roles in the film were played by Vijayantimal and Sunil Dutt . At the end of the year, the film was nominated for an Oscar from India, but did not enter the short list of the nomination.
| Amrapali | |
|---|---|
| hindi आम्रपाली English Amrapali | |
 | |
| Genre | historical film biography film music film |
| Producer | Lekh Tandon |
| Producer | F.K. Mehra |
| Author script | Arjun Dev Rashi Omkar Sahib |
| In the main cast | Vijayantimal Sunil Dutt Sulochana |
| Operator | Dwarka Divecha |
| Composer | Shankar-Jaishishan |
| Film company | Eagle films |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| A country |  India |
| Tongue | Hindi |
| Year | 1966 |
| IMDb | |
Story
The action of this film takes place in ancient India around 500 BC. e. The plot is based on real events from the life of the court dancer and courtesan Amrapali from Vaishali and Ajashastra, the king of the empire of Magadha , who falls in love with her. To get Amrapali, Ajashastra with his troops destroys Lichchavi . Despite the fact that Amrapali also fell in love with Ajashastra, being a patriot of her country, she cannot leave her people and leave with the conqueror. Amrapali meets Buddha Gautama and becomes one of his students, and after training with him - an arhat .
Cast
- Vijayantimal - Amrapali
- Sunil Dutt - Ajashastra, Emperor of Magadhi
- Sulochana - Empress Vaishali
- Bipin Gupta - Pramug, Emperor Vaishali
- Premnath - Warlord Vir
- Gajanan Jagirdar - Kulpati Mahanam, Amrapali's Mentor
- C. N. Singh - Badbahra Singh
- Madhavi - Devi Chatrasena, court dancer
- Narendra Nath - Buddha Shakyamuni
Production
The life story of Amrapali (or rather, Ambapali) from Vaishali is mentioned in ancient texts in the Pali language and Buddhist traditions. It has repeatedly become the basis for the plot of art books, historical research and inspired Indian filmmakers on the film version. Two films of the same name on this subject were shot in 1945 and 1959 [1] .
Actress Vijayantimala , who is a well-known professional performance of classical Indian dances in the style of Bharatanatyam, was invited to the main role in the film. To create historically authentic costumes, costume designer visited Ajanta and studied the murals of the Buddhist era [2] [3] .
Soundtrack
All music is written by the duet of composers .
| No. | Title | Performers | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| one. | "Jao Re Jogi" | Lata Mangeshkar | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Tumhen Yaad Karte Karte" | Lata Mangeshkar | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Neel Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein" | Lata Mangeshkar | |
| four. | Tadap Yeh Din Raat Ki | Lata Mangeshkar | 4:23 |
| five. | "Nacho Gao Nacho Dhoom Machao" | Lata Mangeshkar |
For Indian cinema of those years, this film has relatively few songs [4] . Despite this, the songs “Jao Re Jogi”, “Tumhen Yaad Karte Karte”, “Neel Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein” became one of the best in the long-term career of the famous Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar [5] .
Reaction and influence
Perhaps, thanks to director Lekh Tandon’s commitment to historical accuracy, the film has become one of the few that do not associate shame and guilt with a courtesan [6] .
Although Amrapali was not a box office success, over time it began to be regarded as a classic of Indian cinema [5] . Also, despite the failure at the box office, he was chosen to represent India at the 39th Academy Awards, but did not enter the shortlist [7] .
The film was dubbed into Russian and was shown in the program of the 1st Tashkent Film Festival in 1968 [8] , and since December 8, 1975 at the USSR wide box office [9] .
In 2007, scenes from Amrapali and several other films of past years were used in the musical number for the song “Dhoom Taana” from the film “ When Life Is Not Enough ” to reliably portray the roles of a retro actress [10] .
Notes
- ↑ Film Index // Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema / Edited by Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen. - 2nd Edition. - Routledge , 1999. - P. 576. - 658 p. - ISBN 978-1579581466 .
- ↑ Shalini Shah. Clothes maketh the film . The Hindu (February 25, 2010). Date of appeal September 19, 2015.
- ↑ Roshmila Bhattacharya. When Lata Mangeshkar saved a song and the day . The Times of India (October 8, 2013). Date of appeal September 19, 2015.
- ↑ Sukanya Verma. What if Amrapali were remade today? (eng.) . Rediff.com (March 4, 2004). Date of appeal September 19, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 Vijay Lokapally. Amrapali (1966) The Hindu (May 13, 2011). Date of appeal September 19, 2015.
- ↑ Ruth Vanita. Dancing with the Nation: Courtesans in Bombay Cinema . - Speaking Tiger Publishing, 2018 .-- P. 148. - 272 p. - ISBN 978-9386702906 .
- ↑ List of submissions to the 87th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film . Film Federation of India. Date of appeal September 19, 2015.
- ↑ Abdulaev A. International Forum of Cinematographers in Tashkent . - Tash. : Publishing house of literature and art named after Gafur Gulyam, 1978. - S. 38, 90. - 117 p.
- ↑ Razzakov F. Life in wonderful times. Sixties, 1975-1979: time, events, people . - M .: Eksmo, 2004 .-- S. 197, 209. - 992 p. - ISBN 5-699-05395-6 .
- ↑ Om Shanti Om (2007 ) . The Indian Express (2 November 2012). Date of appeal September 19, 2015.