#97 Amar Akbar Anthony: Top 100 Bollywood Albums

Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Label: Universal Music

Director: Manmohan Desai

Musically, the greatest accomplishment of Amar Akbar Anthony is perhaps the bringing together of four of Bollywood's greatest ever vocalists – Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar – in a single song. But the other rarity about the soundtrack is the one I appreciate more – the fact that Laxmikant Pyarelal chose to pay a lasting tribute to a music arranger (Anthony Gonsalves), one of the perennially under-appreciated group of people in the musical world.

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The presence of three lead characters depicted as belonging to different religions also allowed the composers to dabble with diverse genres, another aspect that makes this a well-rounded soundtrack. And it is no secret that the quality of the songs was a major contributor in the movie's massive success.

Best Song of Amar Akbar Anthony: This for me would have to be Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar, not just for the fact that it features four legends, but also for the way the arrangement and lyrics (Anand Bakshi) are cleverly modified as the visuals switch between the three lead pairs, even as they stay tethered to the lovely central refrain.

1. Shirdi Wale Saibaba (Singer: Mohammed Rafi)
2. My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves (Singers: Amitabh Bachchan, Kishore Kumar)
3. Hum Ko Tum Se Ho Gaya Hai Pyar (Singers: Mohd. Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh)
4. Taiyab Ali Pyar Ka Dushman (Singer: Mohammed Rafi)
5. Parda Hai Parda (Singer: Mohammed Rafi)
6. Amar Akbar Anthony (Singers: Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, Shailendra Singh)
7. Ye Sach Hai Koi Kahani Nahi (featured over the opening credits) (Singer: Mohammed Rafi)

Listen to the entire album of Amar Akbar Anthony here:

(With contributions by Praveen VR, co-founder of musicaloud.com) 

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