Coolie (1983 film)
Encyclopedia
Coolie is a 1983 Indian Bollywood
film directed by Manmohan Desai
. The film stars
Amitabh Bachchan
, Rishi Kapoor
, Rati Agnihotri
, Kader Khan
, Suresh Oberoi
and Puneet Issar
. It is about a railway
coolie
.
. His accident received wide world coverage and hit the headlines in the UK, something unheard of at the time, and many Indians prayed in temples or offered to sacrifice their own limbs to save him. Nevertheless he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation.
Bachchan resumed shooting and remarkably in the final cut of the film, the fight scene during which he is injured is frozen and a message appears marking this as the scene in which he was injured.
Due to Bachchan's injury, the ending was changed. In the original, Amitabh died after Kader Khan shot him. But later on, after the injury-and-recovery episode, Manmohan Desai
, thinking that this would have a negative impact on the movie as well as a bad feeling in the audience, decided to change the ending. The modified ending has the hero recover after his operation.
), has fallen in love a girl named Salma (Waheeda Rahman) and wants to marry her, but she and her father do not let him. Zafar is arrested for various crimes and is imprisoned for 10 years, but when he is discharged, he sees that Salma is married to a good man named Aslam Khan (Satyendra Kapoor). Zafar Khan, wants to convince Salma to marry him but Salma refuses. Zafar plots his revenge by flooding the region in which Salma lives in, killing her father, injuring Aslam and Salma, causing her to lose her memory. During this catastrophe, Salma is also separated from her young son, Iqbal (Amitabh Bachchan
). Zafar abducts Salma and tells the world she is his wife. He also adopts an infant from an orphanage in Kanpur, a boy named Sunny (Rishi Kapoor
), for Salma to raise on the advice of a psychiatrist. Meanwhile, Iqbal is reunited with his uncle, who has lost his wife and son in the flood. The uncle will raise Iqbal as his own, as they have no more family.
Years pass, and Iqbal and his uncle work as coolies. Iqbal has grown up to a be a dashing, confident young man, and is considered the leader of the local coolies. He organizes a labor strike, which brings the station to its knees. Sunny, a young, budding reporter, is covering the story. While speaking to Sunny, Iqbal sees a picture of Sunny's mother who turns out to be Salma. Iqbal rushes to Salma's house to see her after all these years, but upon meeting her son, she has no recollection of him. Zafar is infuriated by Iqbal's trespass and has his guards severely beat him, while he takes Salma to the psychiatrist to administer electric shocks on her so that her memory never returns.
Iqbal and Sunny become friends, and both find love, Iqbal with a Christian girl Julie D'Costa (Rati Agnihotri
) and Sunny with a childhood sweetheart. Things are looking up, but the coolies uncover a banking and housing scandal against them. After a series of run-ins with the corrupt parties, Iqbal finds himself in a fight to the death with Zafar. Salma returns at a very pivotal scene in the film, with her old memories intact and she publicly testifies against Zafar and how he destroyed her family. In the crowd is an old man, who turns out to be Iqbal's long-lost father. Also, Iqbal's uncle recognizes a birthmark on Sunny, proving that Sunny was indeed the son he thought he had lost in the great flood. The family is reunited, much to the fury of Zafar. Iqbal is shot several times by Zafar, but he manages to throw Zafar off a building, killing him instantly. Coolies from all faiths pray hard for his recovery, and Iqbal recovers from his injuries.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film directed by Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai was a producer and director of Indian movies.- Background :His father, Kikubhai Desai, was an Indian film producer and owner of Paramount Studios from 1931 to 1941. His productions, mainly stunt films, included Circus Queen, Golden Gang, and Sheikh Challi...
. The film stars
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
, Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri is a veteran Indian actress. Her portfolio mainly includes films in Hindi-Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. She was born to a Sikh family.-Film career:...
, Kader Khan
Kader Khan
Kader Khan is an Indian film actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Mumbai University .-Early life:...
, Suresh Oberoi
Suresh Oberoi
Suresh Oberoi is an Indian actor who is also father of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi. He was born in Quetta, now Pakistan and is a recipient of 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor...
and Puneet Issar
Puneet Issar
Puneet Issar is an Indian actor and director, most famous for his role as Duryodhana in the TV adaptation of the Mahabharata, and directing Garv: Pride and Honour starring Salman Khan. His other notable roles are in Border, 1997 war film, directed by J. P...
. It is about a railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
.
Background Information
The film became famous even before its release when Amitabh Bachchan was critically injured on 26 July 1982 in the intestines while filming a fight scene with co-star Puneet Issar which almost cost him his life. The crew was filming the shot at University Campus in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. His accident received wide world coverage and hit the headlines in the UK, something unheard of at the time, and many Indians prayed in temples or offered to sacrifice their own limbs to save him. Nevertheless he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation.
Bachchan resumed shooting and remarkably in the final cut of the film, the fight scene during which he is injured is frozen and a message appears marking this as the scene in which he was injured.
Due to Bachchan's injury, the ending was changed. In the original, Amitabh died after Kader Khan shot him. But later on, after the injury-and-recovery episode, Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai was a producer and director of Indian movies.- Background :His father, Kikubhai Desai, was an Indian film producer and owner of Paramount Studios from 1931 to 1941. His productions, mainly stunt films, included Circus Queen, Golden Gang, and Sheikh Challi...
, thinking that this would have a negative impact on the movie as well as a bad feeling in the audience, decided to change the ending. The modified ending has the hero recover after his operation.
Synopsis
A wealthy, but evil man named Zafar Khan (Kader KhanKader Khan
Kader Khan is an Indian film actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Mumbai University .-Early life:...
), has fallen in love a girl named Salma (Waheeda Rahman) and wants to marry her, but she and her father do not let him. Zafar is arrested for various crimes and is imprisoned for 10 years, but when he is discharged, he sees that Salma is married to a good man named Aslam Khan (Satyendra Kapoor). Zafar Khan, wants to convince Salma to marry him but Salma refuses. Zafar plots his revenge by flooding the region in which Salma lives in, killing her father, injuring Aslam and Salma, causing her to lose her memory. During this catastrophe, Salma is also separated from her young son, Iqbal (Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
). Zafar abducts Salma and tells the world she is his wife. He also adopts an infant from an orphanage in Kanpur, a boy named Sunny (Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
), for Salma to raise on the advice of a psychiatrist. Meanwhile, Iqbal is reunited with his uncle, who has lost his wife and son in the flood. The uncle will raise Iqbal as his own, as they have no more family.
Years pass, and Iqbal and his uncle work as coolies. Iqbal has grown up to a be a dashing, confident young man, and is considered the leader of the local coolies. He organizes a labor strike, which brings the station to its knees. Sunny, a young, budding reporter, is covering the story. While speaking to Sunny, Iqbal sees a picture of Sunny's mother who turns out to be Salma. Iqbal rushes to Salma's house to see her after all these years, but upon meeting her son, she has no recollection of him. Zafar is infuriated by Iqbal's trespass and has his guards severely beat him, while he takes Salma to the psychiatrist to administer electric shocks on her so that her memory never returns.
Iqbal and Sunny become friends, and both find love, Iqbal with a Christian girl Julie D'Costa (Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri
Rati Agnihotri is a veteran Indian actress. Her portfolio mainly includes films in Hindi-Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. She was born to a Sikh family.-Film career:...
) and Sunny with a childhood sweetheart. Things are looking up, but the coolies uncover a banking and housing scandal against them. After a series of run-ins with the corrupt parties, Iqbal finds himself in a fight to the death with Zafar. Salma returns at a very pivotal scene in the film, with her old memories intact and she publicly testifies against Zafar and how he destroyed her family. In the crowd is an old man, who turns out to be Iqbal's long-lost father. Also, Iqbal's uncle recognizes a birthmark on Sunny, proving that Sunny was indeed the son he thought he had lost in the great flood. The family is reunited, much to the fury of Zafar. Iqbal is shot several times by Zafar, but he manages to throw Zafar off a building, killing him instantly. Coolies from all faiths pray hard for his recovery, and Iqbal recovers from his injuries.
Cast
- Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
....Iqbal Khan - Waheeda RehmanWaheeda RehmanWaheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
.... Salma - Rishi KapoorRishi KapoorRishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
.... Sunny - Kader KhanKader KhanKader Khan is an Indian film actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Mumbai University .-Early life:...
.... Zafar Khan - Rati AgnihotriRati AgnihotriRati Agnihotri is a veteran Indian actress. Her portfolio mainly includes films in Hindi-Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. She was born to a Sikh family.-Film career:...
.... Julie D' Costa - Amrish PuriAmrish PuriAmrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
... Mr D' Costa - Tun Tun
- Shoma AnandShoma AnandShoma Anand is an Indian television and film actress. Although she has played frequently supporting roles or made cameo appearances throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she had a few films in which she was the lead, such as Jagir and Coolie in the 80s...
- Suresh OberoiSuresh OberoiSuresh Oberoi is an Indian actor who is also father of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi. He was born in Quetta, now Pakistan and is a recipient of 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor...
- Goga KapoorGoga KapoorRavinder Kapoor , popularly known as Goga Kapoor, was an Indian film actor, who appeared mostly in Bollywood films. He had played supporting roles of that of villain's henchmen or that of gangster. He is mostly remembered as Kamsa in the TV serial Mahabharat, Dinkar Rao in the film Agneepath and...
- Unnamed Eagle... Allah Rakha
Soundtrack
| # | Title | Singer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mujhe Peene Ka Shauk Nahi" | Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi... , Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards... |
| 2 | "Jawani Ki Rail Kahin" | Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi... , Anuradha Paudwal Anuradha Paudwal Anuradha Paudwal is a popular playback singer in Bollywood in India.She has sung songs in Hindi, Marathi and Nepali.- Biography :She studied at Xavier's College in Mumbai. She was married to the late Arun Paudwal, who worked with music director S. D. Burman as his assistant... |
| 3 | "Lambuji Tinguji" | Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi... , Sailendra Singh |
| 4 | "Sari Duniya Ka Boj" | Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi... |
| 5 | "Alla Rakha" | Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi... , Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies... , Prayag Raj |
| 6 | "Hum Ka Ishaq Hua" | Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar Shabbir Kumar is an Indian Playback Singer. He was a leading Hindi Cinema playback singer in 1980s.-Biography:Shabbir Kumar whose real name is Shabbir Shaikh was born in Vadodara, Gujarat. He started his music career with the stage show Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam, a tribute to Mohammed Rafi... , Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies... , Prayag Raj |