Amitabh Bachchan’s Amar Akbar Anthony “Bigger Hit Than Baahubali 2” At Box Office, Allowing For Inflation

Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan, on the occasion of Amar Akbar Anthony completing 43 years of its release, has said that the movie had made Rs 7.25 crore.

SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2 might be holding the record of the highest-grossing movie in India at the box office, but Amitabh Bachchan feels that his Amar Akbar Anthony is bigger hit than the Prabhas and Rana Daggubati-starrer.

Amar Akbar Anthony is a cult classic and Amitabh Bachchan marked 43 years of the film with a post filled with throwback memories, a behind-the-scene story and a Baahubali reference. Big B, who was cast as Anthony, co-starred in the three-hero movie with Vinod Khanna (Amar) and Rishi Kapoor (Akbar), which released on May 27, 1977. Big B’s daughter Shweta, born in 1974, was just a toddler when Amitabh Bachchan was shooting for the movie while Abhishkek, born in 1976, was a baby. Sharing a black and white photo from the film’s sets, Big B wrote: “Shweta and Abhishek visited me on sets of Amar Akbar Anthony. Shooting song My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves at Holiday Inn ball room. This pic on the beach front. 43 years of AAA today!”

Directed by Manmohan Desai, the ensemble cast of Amar Akbar Anthony also included Neetu Singh (she got married to Rishi Kapoor in 1980), Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi, Nirupa Roy, Pran, Jeevan, Yusuf Khan, Amjad Khan and Ranjeet.

“When Manmohan ji came to narrate the idea to me and told me the title, I thought he had lost it. At a time in the 70’s when film titles revolved around ‘Behen Bhabhi’ and ‘Beti’, this one was so out of place,” wrote Mr Bachchan.

Continuing his post, Big B added, “inflation adjusted”, Amar Akbar Anthony’s box office collections recorded years ago surpass Baahubali: The Conclusion’s record breaking collections: “But it is reported that it did a business of Rs 7.25 crore at that time. Inflation adjusted, it crosses collections of Baahubali 2… say the sayers, who do calculations. But fact is it did massive business… did 25 weeks in 25 theatres in Mumbai alone, or so they say. Doesn’t happen now… gone are those days!” The Hindi version of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Conclusion, released in 2017, redefined box office history by making over Rs 1,500 crore in theatres.

 

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SHWETA and Abhishek visit me on set of Amar Akbar Anthony .. shooting song ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves’ .. at Holiday Inn Ball Room .. this pic on the beach front .. 43 YEARS of AAA , today .. !!! When Man ji came to narrate the idea to me .. and told me the Title .. I thought he had lost it .. at a time in the 70’s when film titles revolved around Behen Bhabhi and Beti , this one was so out of place .. BUT .. It is reported that it did a business of 7.25 cr at that time .. inflation adjusted it crosses collections of Bahubali 2 .. say the sayers who do calculations 😟😟 But fact is it did massive business .. did 25 weeks in 25 theatres in Mumbai alone .. or so they say .. Doesn’t happen now … gone are those days !!

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) on May 26, 2020 at 8:58pm PDT

On Twitter, Amitabh Bachchan shared a few more Amar Akbar Anthony memories:

T 3544 -43 YEARS .. !!! .. ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ is estimated to have made Rs 7.25 crore in those days. Inflation-adjusted, it crosses the collections of Bahubali 2—The Conclusion today!

#43YearsOfAmarAkbarAnthony pic.twitter.com/u5IMiOV2zt

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) May 27, 2020

Earlier this month on World Laughter Day, Big B shared an ROFL clip from the movie, along with an anecdote from the film’s shooting at the iconic RK Studios, just days after Rishi Kapoor’s death.

 

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‘Van Gogh’s final words were: this sadness will last forever. la tristesse durera toujours ..’ mailed to me by dear friend Siddharth across the street .. ! .. grief will never leave us .. but time to be positive .. time to bring the 😁 back .. time for the adage ‘the show must go on’ .. Scene shot for AmarAkbarAnthony at RK Studios fl 3 , ManMohan Desai director .. we were shooting 2 films simultaneously .. PARVARISH and AAA .. both in RK Studios .. first on fl 1, a climax action with Vinod , Amjad and me .. and this scene with me on fl 3 .. Man ji said to me, you rehearse this mirror scene ‘main zara us floor pe shot lekar aata hoon’ .. but when he came back I had already done the scene and shot it with the ASST., .. a basic idea given by Kader Bhai .. rest is all impromptu , ad lib , one take .. !! When Man ji came back to this set he was surprised that his asst., Anil Nagrath and I had done it .. he commented ‘ aye, barabar kiya hai na scene .. thok to nahi diya ..’ !! Man ji finally saw the scene a month later – it used to take time to process develop the print in those times .. he saw it at the mini trial theatre at Ranjit Studios, where we were shooting the climax of AAA .. after seeing it we sat on the steps of the Office in the Studio and he said to me .. ‘Lalla ! you are going to work in every film of mine that I make, until you say NO’ !!! Those were the days !!!

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) on May 2, 2020 at 11:00pm PDT

In March, Amitabh Bachchan shared this priceless gem from the film’s mahurat with Dharmendra holding the clapperboard.

T 3457 – Mahurat of ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ .. from right Man ji ( Manmohan Desai) ; a bowed headed AB ; Parveen Babi ; Shabana Azmi ; Neetu Singh ; Vinod Khanna ; Dharam ji who gave the clap ..
AAA , ran 25 weeks in 25 theatres in one city alone – MUMBAI .. all India imagine ! pic.twitter.com/wKpMBIrubZ

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 2, 2020

Amitabh Bachchan will next be seen in Gulabo Sitabo, which releases on Amazon Prime on June 12.