Haathi Mere Saathi
| Hathi Mere Sathi | |
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| Directed by | M A Thirumugham |
| Produced by |
Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar, Devar Films |
| Written by | Salim-Javed |
| Starring |
Rajesh Khanna Tanuja |
| Music by | Laxmikant-Pyarelal |
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Release date
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| Language | Hindi |
Haathi Mere Saathi (English: Elephant My Partner) is an Indian film from 1971. The movie has a Disneyesque appeal with an Indian twist. Haathi Mere Saathi was the biggest hit of 1971 going by box office collections, and was also critically acclaimed. Rajesh Khanna starred in the film. The film at that point in time was the biggest hit ever made by a South producer in Hindi.
The story was written by producer Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar who is of Tamil origin and owned Devar Films in Tamil Nadu. Thevar also played a small cameo in the film. Directed and edited by Thevar's brother M.A.Thirumugham, it had screenplay by Salim-Javed, dialogues by Inder Raj Anand, music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film was also the first collaboration of Salim-Javed, who were officially credited as screenplay writers. The movie was remade in Tamil as Nalla Neram in 1972.This film is counted among the 17 consecutive hit films Rajesh Khanna between 1969 and 1971, by adding the two hero films Marayada and Andaz to the 15 consecutive solo hits he gave from 1969 to 1971.
Orphaned Raju, in the company of four elephants, has to perform with them at street corners, in order to keep alive. The back-story is that as an orphan, they have saved his life from a leopard. In time, he makes it big, and starts Pyar Ki Duniya (The World Of Love), a zoo in which various wild animals reside along with his elephants, among whom Ramu is closest to him. Slowly he amasses a fortune, and is able to build his own private zoo, housing tigers, lions, bears, and of course the four elephants. He treats all the animals as his friends. He meets with Tanu (Tanuja), and both fall in love. Tanu's rich dad, Ratanlal (Madan Puri), is opposed to this alliance, but subsequently relents, and permits the young couple to get married. However trouble looms soon after as Tanu feels neglected. Things worsen when their child is born, and Tanu, fearing physical harm to her child from the elephants, tells Raju to choose between the elephants and his family. When Raju chooses his lifelong friends over wife and son, Ramu decides to bring the estranged couple together, but thanks to the villainous Sarwan Kumar (K.N.Singh), he has to sacrifice his life.
The original name of "Haathi Mere Saathi" was "Pyaar Ki Duniya ".
Earlier titled Pyar Ki Duniya, the film also won a special award from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for lyricist Anand Bakshi. Its music on HMV (as Saregama was known then) won a Silver Disc for its sales, making it the first-ever Indian gramophone record to do so.
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