In my earlier post, ‘Paint me red’, I mentioned blood transfusions in old Hindi movies. There have been many bizarre and imaginative portrayals of blood transfusions in those movies. The funniest and most famous however is from a film, which is one of the biggest blockbusters of all times, Amar Akbar Anthony. It pretty much enjoys cult status with today’s generation. It stars none other than the ‘Big B’, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan himself.
It’s story of three brothers who are separated as kids. The father is on the run for a crime he did not commit and mom has left to attempt suicide. Many years later the three brothers Amar, Akbar and Anthony meet each other without knowing that they share the same blood…literally!
The particular goof up I’m talking about happens when the mom, who’s but blind, suffers a vehicular accident. Coincidentally, all three of hers sons are present at the spot and rush her to the hospital, unaware of her identity and each other’s as well. The doctor says she’s lost a lot of blood and needs a blood transfusion and all three of them promptly offer their’s. What happens next is probably one of the silliest moments in Indian film history.
All three sons donate their blood, which is collected in one single bottle. Directly from that single bottle comes out an IV line, which is transfusing the mother. All in one single shot. No blood grouping, no pre-transfusion tests. Maybe the director was uninformed or he thought the audience was stupid. The aesthetic value of that scene made a huge impact on moviegoers 30 years back when the movie was first released. All three sons unknowingly save the life of their own mother…made for a great formula film.
And the message of ‘Unity in Diversity’, which my country is so proud of was delivered with great gung ho. The title is itself is suggestive of the theme, the three protagonists are brought up as per the customs of the three main religions in this country, Amar as a Hindu, Akbar as a Muslim and Anthony as a Christian.
It was a great movie…still is! Except for the blood transfusion scene that never fails to split me up.
4 comments:
good one buddy..
nice one
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Hahahahaha...I watched that film long LONG ago. Still remember the title song. It was too long ago to remember that particular scene but if I watched it now, I'd have cracked up as well.
Those old Hindi films had the funniest scenes ever sometimes. Especially all those sudden heart attacks :)
I like movies that crack me up like that, too!
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