Ajooba
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| Ajooba | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Shashi Kapoor |
| Produced by | Shashi Kapoor |
| Written by | Bharat Bhalla Prayag Raj Valentin Ezhov |
| Starring | Amitabh Bachchan Rishi Kapoor Dimple Kapadia Sonam Saeed Jaffrey Amrish Puri Dalip Tahil Areadna Shengelaya Georgi Darchiashvili |
| Music by | Laxmikant Pyarelal Vanraj Bhatia(background score) |
| Release date(s) | April 12, 1991 |
| Running time | 175 min |
| Language | Hindi |
| IMDb profile | |
Ajooba is a 1991 Hindi feature film, produced and directed by Shashi Kapoor. It is a fantasy /fairytale loosely based on the Prince of Persia theme.
The Arabian kingdom of Baharistan is ruled by a just and kind Sultan(Shammi Kapoor). All is well in the land except that the Sultan seemingly can't have children. There's an evil, devil worshipping Vazir (Amrish Puri) who seeks to usurp the throne, revive his fauladi shaitan (a huge demon-like figure made of stone) and take over the world. The Vazir instructs his maids to strangle every child born to the Sultan. Finally, however, a spark of divine intervention (literally, you see a spark descending from the heavens and entering the womb) renders the next newborn son immune to the poisons and strangulations administered by the maids. This Shehezada (prince) eventually becomes Ajooba (miracle).
The Sultan and his wife Malika (Areadna Shengelaya) kick off celebrations throughout the land. The good court magician Ameer Baba (Saeed Jaffrey), recently returned from his travels to the land of Hind (India, actually), presents a magic sword to the Sultan. The Sultan thrusts it into a pillar (verifying its keenness) and Ameer Baba pronounces that it may be drawn out of the stone again only by a member of the royal family.
Soon after, the Sultan privately discusses "traitors" with Ameer Baba. The Vazir overhears, eventually tricks Ameer Baba, steals his Necklace of Immortality, throws him into the dungeons, attempts to murder the Sultan and his family and takeover the throne. The Sultan escapes with his wife and child. After a pitched battle involving magic carpets and storms and ships, the Sultan is missing, Malika is blinded and the young Shehzada is washed ashore by a dolphin (whom he eventually thinks of as his mother) to a blacksmith. This blacksmith adopts the kid, trains him in all the worldly and martial arts, and thus creates Ajooba. In the meantime, the Vazir blames Ameer Baba for the Sultan's murder, takes over the throne and begins ravaging the land, always uttering his slogan Shaitan Zindabaad (Long live the Devil).
Ajooba is a masked rider in black (kind of like Zorro) who thwarts the Vazir's lackeys as they pillage the lands and harass the citizens. His plain self is Ali, an ordinary restaurateur, and his chum is Hasan (Rishi Kapoor). Together they foil the Vazir's evil schemes, raid his caravans and woo their girls. Ajooba falls for Rukhsana (Dimple Kapadia, actually the daughter of Ameer Baba, returned from Hind to rescue her imprisoned father) and Hasan's affections are for the Vazir's Shehzadi Henna (Sonam).
Ajooba inflicts constant pain upon the Vazir. The Vazir eventually raises his fauladi shaitan and plans an all-out attack. The Raja of Hind (Dara Singh, in a special appearance) brings his forces to aid Ajooba. The resulting war brings all the central characters together.
Several questions are essentially resolved in the ensuing war. The climax is a panorama of demons, magical horses and donkeys, a full-scale combat between the Vazir's army and the Hind army, enchanted swords and a final revelation about the identity of Ajooba.
[edit] Cast
- Amitabh Bachchan ... Ajooba/Ali
- Rishi Kapoor ... Hasan
- Amrish Puri ... Vazir-e-Ala (aka Vazir)
- Dimple Kapadia ... Rukhsana (Ameer Baba's daughter)
- Sonam ... Henna (Vazir's daughter)
- Saeed Jaffrey ... Magician Ameer Baba
- Sushma Seth ... Zarina Khan (Ameer Baba's wife)
- Dalip Tahil ... Shahrukh (Vazir's brother-in-law)
- Areadna Shengelaya ... Malika
- Georgi Darchiashvili ... Altaf
- Shammi Kapoor ... Sultan-e-Baharistan (special appearance)
- Dara Singh ... Hind ke Maharaja
[edit] Notes and Trivia
This film is sort of weird in that it was produced in association with Gorky Studios (Moscow). There are several Russian stars who seem to speak Hindi but their speech is not in sync with Hindi dialogue. Also, the design work (especially the battle and fantasy sequences) is minimalist and tacky. The battle sequences, supposedly representing a full scale conflict between two kingdoms with thousands of soldiers, seems to have been filmed with 50 or 60 people at most. The special effects (e.g. magic carpets, enchanted swords) are primitive at best e.g. it is plain that the magic carpet floats over a miniature set of Baharistan.
It is also rumored that Amitabh Bachchan worked in this film gratis, as a favor to his longtime collaborator and friend Shashi Kapoor.
