Abdullah (film)

Abdullah is a 1980 Indian Bollywood romantic drama film that was directed by Sanjay Khan.[1] It stars Raj Kapoor, Sanjay Khan, Zeenat Aman, Danny Denzongpa in main roles, along with Sanjeev Kumar, Madan Puri, Sujit Kumar, Mehmood, Om Prakash, Kader Khan, Farida Jalal in minor roles. The story was written by George Marzbetuny and Kader Khan wrote the dialogues. It was one of the most expensive Indian films at the time.[2]

Abdullah
Film poster
Directed bySanjay Khan
Written byKader Khan (dialogues)
George Marzbetuny (story)
Produced byAsghar Ali
Abbas Khan
Zarine Khan
StarringRaj Kapoor
Sanjay Khan
Zeenat Aman
Danny Denzongpa
CinematographyV. Gopi Krishna
Edited byM. S. Shinde
Music byR. D. Burman
Production
company
Zafo Films Private Limited Productions
Release date
  • 8 August 1980 (1980-08-08)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Box office3.4 crore

Plot

In an unspecified Arab country, Khaleel is a dangerous outlaw bringing terror to the land. Sheikh Mohammed Al-Kamal is a man of honour, who helps to protect people from harm and is asked by the government to help search for Khaleel. The quest to bring Khaleel to justice becomes a personal one for the Sheikh when his wife Zainab is injured during a bungled kidnap attempt by Khaleel.

Abdullah is a devout Muslim who lives in a small hut in the middle of the desert, and looks after a well which provides water to thirsty travelers. One day a friend, Ameer, informs him that Khaleel had raided a settlement nearby, killing everyone except for Yashoda, a pregnant woman. Shortly thereafter, Ameer himself is killed, a mortally wounded Yashoda gives birth to a boy, names him Krishna, asks Abdullah to care for him, and passes away. Abdullah overcomes his fears of bringing up a Hindu boy, and looks after Krishna as his own son.

One day Khaleel's magician informs him that he is going to die at the hands of Krishna. Just as the Hindu deity Krishna once slew Kansa, his maternal uncle, so also will Khaleel's life end at this Krishna's hands. Angered by this, Khaleel sets out to kill Krishna. He attacks Abdullah, abducts Krishna and readies to kill the boy to get rid of any threat against him. In response, Abdullah and the Sheikh set out to stop this and to deal with Khaleel once and for all.

Cast

Soundtrack

The music was composed by R. D. Burman. Lyrics written by Anand Bakshi.

SongSinger
"Om Jai Jagdish Hare" Lata Mangeshkar
"Jashn-E-Bahaara" Asha Bhosle
"Bheega Badan Jalne Laga" Asha Bhosle
"Maine Poochha Chand Se" Mohammed Rafi
"Ae Khuda, Har Faisla Tera" Kishore Kumar
"Lallah, Allah Tera Nigahbaan" Manna Dey

Box office

Abdullah grossed 3.4 crore at the domestic Indian box office, making it 1980's 17th highest-grossing film in India. However, the film's performance at the domestic box office was deemed below average.[3]


Despite under-performing at the domestic Indian box office, the film became an overseas blockbuster at the Soviet box office, due to Raj Kapoor's popularity in the Soviet Union. It drew an audience of 31.9 million Soviet viewers in 1983, the highest for an Indian film that year, making it one of the top 30 most popular Indian films in the Soviet Union.[4]

References

  1. Christo, Bob (14 May 2011). Flashback: My Life and Times in Bollywood and Beyond. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-511-4.
  2. "Qurbani". Cine Blitz. Blitz Publications. 5 (2): 90. 1979.
  3. "Box Office 1980". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  4. Sergey Kudryavtsev. "Зарубежные популярные фильмы в советском кинопрокате (Индия)".
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