The Aamir Khan Film Festival by PVR Inox inaugurated recently keeping in mind the superstar’s 60th birthday has all the movies which made him the great actor he is today-Ghulam, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT), Lagaan, Ghajini and countless others. But this piece deals with a forgotten flop movie made 30 years ago called Aatank Hi Aatank (1995).
As you start watching the movie, you realise its loosely based on The Godfather (1972). The movie revolves around a farmer who moves to the city with his wife and kids and becomes a gangster. Starring none other than Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla, the film throws up a lot of other well-known actors as it progresses.
The parts generously borrowed from Ford’s iconic movie are the intro marriage scene, the first assassination attempt of the gangster near a fruit cart, the son (Aamir in this case, Al Pacino in the original) taking revenge and ultimately him becoming the don. Interestingly, this isn’t the only Godfather connection that Aamir has in his films, in a film that released the same year, Akele Hum Akele Tum, where he is paired opposite Manisha Koirala, the song Raja Ko Rani Se Pyaar Hogaya is actually inspired from the The Godfather theme.
A still from the film |
The last 45 minutes give sudden unexpected friendly appearances- Kabir Bedi in a role as a police officer in a role that doesn’t suit his stature at all and Om Puri as a hitman with a Rottweiler. The movie has atleast three actors opposite Aamir who had given blockbusters with him in previous movies- Pooja Bedi as a dacoit who falls in love with him, previously seen opposite him in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (JJWS); Dalip Tahil as a shady character who was Aamir’s dad in QSQT; and the biggest one ofcourse Juhi Chawla, the main lead in Aamir’s debut blockbuster QSQT.
Aamir’s transformation from the innocent America returned boy takes place from having wavy hair to the slicked back look and a moustache, accompanied with at least five different suit changes. Instead of the fancy BMW motorcades and other cars which are used nowadays for most of the gangster movies, being the mid-90s, you have blue ambassadors.
A still from the film |
What is interesting to note is one of the songs, titled Gunda Rap, which you can make out the makers must have had a lot of expectations from, with the favourite gangsters of the 80s and 90s, Raza Murad and Goga Kapoor. The dancers had on Michael Jackson inspired suits and hats and the lyrics were: I am bad, But never sad, Gunda Rap…
If you want to see the movie, it’s there on YouTube, but you have to generously use your fast forward remote button, a lot, even though on YouTube it has a staggering 17 million views.
