Bobby (1973 film)

Bobby is a 1973 Indian musical romance film, produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film stars Raj Kapoor's son, Rishi Kapoor, in his first leading role, opposite Dimple Kapadia in her debut role.

Bobby
Theatrical poster
Directed byRaj Kapoor
Produced byRaj Kapoor
Written byJainendra Jain (dialogue)
Screenplay byKhwaja Ahmad Abbas
V. P. Sathe
Story byKhwaja Ahmad Abbas
StarringRishi Kapoor
Dimple Kapadia
Prem Nath
Pran
Music byLaxmikant–Pyarelal
CinematographyRadhu Karmakar
Edited byRaj Kapoor
Production
company
R.K. Films
Distributed byR.K. Films
Release date
28 September 1973 (1973-09-28)
Running time
169 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindustani[1]
Box officeest. ₹30 crore[2]

The film became a blockbuster, the top-grossing Indian hit of 1973,[3] the second-top-grossing hit of the 1970s at the Indian box office,[4] and one of the top 20 highest-grossing Indian films of all time (when adjusted for inflation).[5] It also became an overseas blockbuster in the Soviet Union, where it drew an audience of 62.6 million viewers,[6] making it one of the top 20 biggest box office hits of all time in the Soviet Union.[7][8]

The film became a trend-setter. It was wildly popular and widely imitated. It introduced to Bollywood the genre of teenage romance with a rich-versus-poor clash as a backdrop. Numerous films in the following years and decades were inspired by this plot. Indiatimes Movies ranks Bobby amongst the 'Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films'.[9]

Plot

The story is about the love between two Bombay teenagers of different classes—Raj Nath (Rishi Kapoor), the son of a rich Hindu businessman Mr. Nath (played by Pran), and Bobby Braganza (Dimple Kapadia), the daughter of a poor Goan Christian fisherman Jack Braganza (played by Prem Nath).

Raj returns from his boarding school. Upon his return, his parents throw a party to celebrate his birthday. His governess as a child Mrs. Braganza comes to wish him with her granddaughter Bobby, whom Raj notices among the crowds attending his party. Mrs. Nath (played by Sonia Sahni) ignores Mrs. Braganza, which leads her to leave the party with her granddaughter in a rush.

Raj opens his gifts the next day and finds Mrs. Braganza's gift, so he decides to go and meet her. Reaching there, her granddaughter Bobby opens the door for him, and it is love at first sight for him. During that visit, he mixes his book with Bobby's, so he goes to meet her at the library to exchange the books, and from that, both start their friendship. Raj and Bobby decide to go to see a movie but find out it is a full house. Then Raj gets an idea to go to a party. At the party, Bobby sees Raj talking to Nima (played by Aruna Irani) privately and thinks he is in love with her. As the story progresses, Raj realises that his relationship with the daughter of a poor fisherman is not taken kindly by his eccentric father. Upon Raj's insistence, Mr. Nath invites Jack Braganza to initiate talks of Raj and Bobby's wedding. But instead, Mr. Nath insults him and accuses Jack of using his daughter's beauty and charm to trap Raj for his money. He later offers Jack cash to stop Bobby from seeing Raj. Jack feels highly humiliated by this accusation and reciprocates by insulting Mr. Nath. Their talk enters a deadlock and spells doom for Raj and Bobby's tender love.

Mr. Nath engages Raj to a mentally challenged wealthy girl, Alka (Farida Jalal), to establish business ties with her rich father. But Raj runs away from home to unite with Bobby. They run away together. Mr. Nath advertises a reward for anyone who can help find his son. Prem Chopra (Prem Chopra) decides that he wants the money, and he and his goons kidnap Raj and Bobby. When they try to escape, Prem starts beating Raj. Mr. Nath and the police come to help, and they find Jack already there attempting to help Raj. Raj and Bobby run away from their fathers and jump over a waterfall. Mr. Nath and Jack jump into the water after them. Mr. Nath rescues Bobby, while Jack rescues Raj.

They realise that they love their children very much and don't want to stand in the way of their happiness. They accept each other's kids as their own and give their blessings to the union.

Cast

Raj Kapoor launched his second son Rishi Kapoor in this film; he wanted a new heroine to complement the young love story. Dimple Kapadia and Neetu Singh were auditioned for the role of Bobby Braganza, but Dimple was finally selected.

Production

In an interview in 2012, Rishi Kapoor stated, "There was a misconception that the film was made to launch me as an actor. The film was made to pay the debts of Mera Naam Joker. Dad wanted to make a teenage love story and he did not have money to cast Rajesh Khanna in the film".[10]

Filming

Some scenes were shot in Gulmarg. One scene was shot in a hut in Gulmarg, which became famous as the 'Bobby Hut'.[11][12] A few scenes towards the end of the movie were shot on Pune-Solapur highway near Loni Kalbhor where Raj Kapoor owned a farm.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo. The lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi, Inderjeet Singh Tulsi, and Vithalbhai Patel. Lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi except where noted.

SongSinger(s)Notes
"Ae Ae Ae Phansa" Lata Mangeshkar Picturized on Aruna Irani
"Ankhiyon Ko Rahne De" Lata Mangeshkar Based on the song "Ankhiyan nu rehen de" by Reshma
"Beshak Mandir Masjid" Narendra Chanchal

Lyrics by Raj Kavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi
"Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho" Lata Mangeshkar and Shailendra Singh
"Jhoot Bole Kauva Kate" Lata Mangeshkar and Shailendra Singh Picturized on Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in a village dance setting.
"Main Shayar To Nahin" Shailendra Singh Picturised on Rishi Kapoor. The song was reused and picturised again on him in the 2004 film Hum Tum.
"Mujhe Kuchh Kahna Hai" Lata Mangeshkar and Shailendra Singh
"Na Mangun Sona Chandi" Manna Dey and Shailendra Singh

Lyrics by: Vithalbhai Patel

Box office
Worldwide gross (est.)
Territory Gross revenue Adjusted gross Footfalls
Domestic (India) ₹11 crore[3] (US$14.21 million)[n 1] ₹660 crore (US$93 million)[15] 53.5 million[16]
Overseas (Soviet Union) 15.65 million руб[n 2] – US$21.44 million[n 3] (₹19.24 crore)[n 4] US$102 million (₹638 crore)[20] 62.6 million[6]
Worldwide ₹30.24 crore (US$39 million)[2][21] ₹1,212 crore (US$184 million) 116 million

In India, Bobby was the highest-grossing film of 1973, earning ₹11 crore.[3] It was also the second-highest-grossing film at the Indian box office in the 1970s, second only to Sholay (1975).[4] Adjusted for inflation, it grossed ₹398 crore in 2011 value,[14] equivalent to ₹660 crore (US$93 million) in 2016 value. As of 2011, it is one of the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time in India.[5]

Overseas, Bobby was very successful in the Soviet Union when it released there in 1975, due to Raj Kapoor's popularity in the country. Bobby drew 62.6 million admissions at the Soviet box office, making it the second-best-selling film on the Soviet box office charts in 1975,[6] the most popular Indian film of the 1970s, the second-biggest foreign film of the decade,[7] the sixth-biggest box office hit of the decade,[7][8] the second-most-viewed Indian film of all time (after Raj Kapoor's Awaara), the sixth-biggest foreign hit of all time,[7] and one of the top 20 biggest box office hits of all time.[7][8] The film's success launched Rishi Kapoor into an overnight movie star in the Soviet Union,[22] much like Awaara had done for his father Raj Kapoor.

Similarly, the film was very successful in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It was popular among non-Indian audiences in these countries, despite a lack of local language dubbing or subtitles upon its initial Malaysian release. It was among the most popular foreign films in Malaysia at the time, along with Bruce Lee films such as The Big Boss (1972).[23]

Critical reception

The Illustrated Weekly of India wrote upon release that despite a new style, "the story formula remains the same as ever". The review further noted that despite some gimmicks, the film's commercial appeal may be attributed to the "two fresh-faced, delightful youngsters", later praising the performances, including the lead pair who "act with natural ease and freshness", Premnath who is "outstanding as the expansive, volatile Mr. Braganza", but accused Pran of being typecast.[24]

Awards
21st Filmfare Awards
Nominations

[25]

BFJA Awards
  • Best Male Playback Singer (Hindi Section) – Shailender Singh
  • BFJA Award for Best Audiographer (Hindi Section) – Alauddin Khan Qureshi[26]

Controversy

In his 2017 autobiography Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, Rishi Kapoor revealed that he paid someone ₹30,000 (equivalent to ₹720,000 or US$10,000 in 2019) to win him an award for Best Actor.[27]

See also

Notes
  1. 7.742 Indian rupees per US dollar in 1973[13]
  2. 62.6 million tickets sold,[6] average ticket price of 25 kopecks[17]
  3. 0.73 Soviet rubles per US dollar in 1975[18]
  4. 8.973 Indian rupees per US dollar in 1975[19]

References
  1. Dwyer, Rachel (2006). Filming the Gods: Religion and Indian Cinema. Routledge. p. 106. ISBN 9781134380701.
  2. "On Independence Day, here are the most successful Indian movies of every decade since 1947". Hindustan Times. 15 August 2018.
  3. "Box Office 1973". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  4. "Top Earners 1970-1979". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  5. Top 50 Film of Last 50 Years Archived 4 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Box Office India, 3 November 2011
  6. Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin, page 89, Indiana University Press, 2005
  7. Sergey Kudryavtsev. "Зарубежные фильмы в советском кинопрокате".
  8. Sergey Kudryavtsev. "Отечественные фильмы в советском кинопрокате".
  9. Kanwar, Rachna (3 October 2005). "25 Must See Bollywood Movies". Indiatimes movies. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  10. "Proud of Ranbir's choice of roles: Rishi Kapoor - Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". 15 September 2012.
  11. "Shah Rukh Khan ek kamre mein band in Kashmir". Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  12. The Gulmarg Nostalgia-X (Bollywood in Gulmarg-II!)
  13. http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf#page=3
  14. Worth Their Weight In Gold! (70's) Archived 22 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Box Office India, 3 November 2011
  15. ₹398 crore in 2011[14][5]
  16. Mittal, Ashok (1995). Cinema Industry in India: Pricing and Taxation. Indus Publishing. pp. 71 & 77. ISBN 9788173870231.
  17. Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War, page 48, Cornell University Press, 2011
  18. Archive of Bank of Russia http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls
  19. https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=15268
  20. "67.175856 INR per USD in 2016". Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  21. "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)". World Bank. 1973. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  22. Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War, page 43, Cornell University Press, 2011
  23. Heide, William Van der (2002). Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National Cultures. Amsterdam University Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-90-5356-580-3.
  24. "Film Review - Bobby". The Illustrated Weekly of India. The Times Group. 1973. p. 41.
  25. "1st Filmfare Awards 1953" (PDF). Deep750.googlepages.com. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  26. 69th & 70th Annual Hero Honda BFJA Awards 2007 Archived 22 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  27. "Uncensored: Rishi Kapoor reveals *exactly* why he bought an award for Bobby". India Today. 19 January 2017.
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