| Haathi Mere Saathi | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | M. A. Thirumugam |
| Screenplay by | Salim–Javed |
| Story by | Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar |
| Based on | Deiva Cheyal (1967) |
| Produced by | Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar |
| Starring | Rajesh Khanna Tanuja Madan Puri Sujit Kumar K. N. Singh |
| Cinematography | K. S. Prasad |
| Edited by | M. A. Thirumugam M. G. Balu Rao |
| Music by | Laxmikant–Pyarelal |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Devar Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est. ₹16.58 crore (equivalent to ₹11 billion or US$130 million in 2023) |
Haathi Mere Saathi (transl. Elephants Are My Companions) is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed by M. A. Thirumugam, with screenplay written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) and dialogues by Inder Raj Anand. The movie has a Disneyesque appeal with an Indian twist. Haathi Mere Saathi was the biggest hit of 1971 going by box office collections, and was also critically acclaimed. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Tanuja.[1] The film at that point in time was the biggest hit ever made by a South Indian producer in Hindi.[2]
The story was written by producer Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar who is of Tamil origin and owned Devar Films in Tamil Nadu. Thevar also played a small cameo in the film. Directed and edited by Thevar's brother M.A.Thirumugham, it had music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film was also the first collaboration of Salim-Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar), who were officially credited as screenplay writers.[3] The film was based on Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar's 1967 Tamil movie Deiva Cheyal. After the success of this movie, Thevar remade it in Tamil again in 1972 as Nalla Neram.[4] This film is counted among the 17 consecutive hit films of Rajesh Khanna between 1969 and 1971, by adding the two-hero films Marayada and Andaz to the 15 consecutive solo hits he gave from 1969 to 1971.[5][6]
- ^ Rachel Dwyer; British Film Institute (2005). One hundred Bollywood films (reprint, illustrated ed.). Michigan: BFI. p. 258. ISBN 978-1-84457-098-0. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "the closest Hindi film to Disney". Screen India. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ Rajiv, Vijayakar (13 May 2011). "The story was written in relevant way". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Sandow and superstars". The Hindu. 24 July 2012. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ m.imdb.com/name/nm0004435/trivia
- ^ "Hindustan Times". Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.