Amrapali (film)
Encyclopedia
Amrapali is a 1966 historical Hindi film, directed by Lekh Tandon
, starring Vyjayanthimala
and Sunil Dutt
as leads.
It was based on the life of Amrapali (Ambapali
), the nagarvadhu
(royal courtesan
) of Vaishali
, the capital of the Licchavi republic in ancient India
around 500 BC and Ajatashatru
, the king of the Magadha empire, who falls in love with her. Though he destroys Vaishali to get her, she in the meantime has been transformed by her encounter with Gautama Buddha
, of whom she becomes a disciple and an Arahant herself. Her story finds mention in old Pali
texts and Buddhist traditions .
The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 39th Academy Awards
, but was not accepted as a nominee. Though the film wasn't a commercial success, in time it started being seen as classic and is remembered not just for its dramatic cinematography of war scenes by Dwarka Divecha , and Bhanu Athaiya
's costumes for which she travelled to the Ajanta Caves, to seek references in Buddhist frescoes of the era, to create period costumes that subsequently became a template for costumes of that era, but also for the strong Anti-war
sentiment, the film reveals in the end .
, then at the peak of their career, who gave a highly restrained yet fully Indian classical music
-based score in the four songs, another rarity in the period film of the era to have so few songs. All the song were sung by Lata Mangeshkar
who also has some of her career's finest among them, including, Tujhe yaad karte, Neel gagan ki chaon mein, and Jao re jogi tum jao re .
dances as Vyjayantimala, who was digitally removed from the frames, as Deepika was playing the role an actor of the 1970s.
Lekh Tandon
Lekh Tandon has directed numerous Bollywood movies and Indian TV Serials. Recently he has acted in few movies such as Swades. He is brother of Urdu playwright Yograj Tandon.-Biography:...
, starring Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
and Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
as leads.
It was based on the life of Amrapali (Ambapali
Ambapali
Amrapāli, also known as "Ambapālika" or "Ambapali", was a nagarvadhu of the republic of Vaishali in ancient India around 500 BC.. Following the Buddha's teachings she became an arahant...
), the nagarvadhu
Nagarvadhu
Nagarvadhu or Nagar Vadhu was a tradition followed in some parts of ancient India.Women competed to win the title of a Nagarvadhu, and it was not considered a taboo. The most beautiful woman was chosen as the Nagarvadhu....
(royal courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
) of Vaishali
Vaishali
Vaishali may refer to:* Vaishali , an ancient city located in current Vaishali District, Bihar, India* Vaishali district, a district in Bihar, India* Vaishali , a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, India...
, the capital of the Licchavi republic in ancient India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
around 500 BC and Ajatashatru
Ajatashatru
Ajatasatru was a king of the Magadha empire in north India. He was the son of King Bimbisara, the Great Monarch of Magadha. He was contemporary to Mahavira and Buddha. He took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father forcefully by imprisoning him...
, the king of the Magadha empire, who falls in love with her. Though he destroys Vaishali to get her, she in the meantime has been transformed by her encounter with Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, of whom she becomes a disciple and an Arahant herself. Her story finds mention in old Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
texts and Buddhist traditions .
The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 39th Academy Awards
39th Academy Awards
The 39th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1966, were held on April 10, 1967 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California...
, but was not accepted as a nominee. Though the film wasn't a commercial success, in time it started being seen as classic and is remembered not just for its dramatic cinematography of war scenes by Dwarka Divecha , and Bhanu Athaiya
Bhanu Athaiya
Bhanu Athaiya née Rajopadhye is Indian cinema's most well-regarded costume designer, having worked in over 100 films, since 1950s, with noted filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowariker, and international directors like Conrad Rooks and Richard Attenborough.She made her...
's costumes for which she travelled to the Ajanta Caves, to seek references in Buddhist frescoes of the era, to create period costumes that subsequently became a template for costumes of that era, but also for the strong Anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
sentiment, the film reveals in the end .
Cast
- VyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
- Amrapali - Sunil DuttSunil DuttSunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
- Magadh Samrat AjatashatruAjatashatruAjatasatru was a king of the Magadha empire in north India. He was the son of King Bimbisara, the Great Monarch of Magadha. He was contemporary to Mahavira and Buddha. He took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father forcefully by imprisoning him... - Prem Nath - Senpati Veer of Magadh
- Bipin Gupta - VaishaliVaishaliVaishali may refer to:* Vaishali , an ancient city located in current Vaishali District, Bihar, India* Vaishali district, a district in Bihar, India* Vaishali , a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, India...
's Samrat - Gajanan Jagirdar - Kulpati Mahanam
- K.N. Singh - Balbadra SIngh
- MadhaviMadhavi (actress)Madhavi is a South Indian film actress. She played lead roles for 17 years in seven languages: Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Bengali, and Hindi. She has acted in more than 300 films.-Early life:...
- Raj Nartaki - Bela Bose
- Susheela -
- Mridula Rani - Raj Mata (Ajaat Shatru's Mother)
- Ruby Mayer - Vaishali's Empress
- Panchotta
- Supriya Devi
- Narendra Nath - Lord Buddha
Crew
- Art Direction: M.R. AcharekarM.R. AcharekarMurlidhar Ramachandra Acharekar was an Indian artist, film art director in Hindi cinema, who won Filmfare Best Art Direction Award three times, 1958 for Pardesi, 1960 for Kaagaz Ke Phool, in 1962 for Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai. -Bio:...
- Dance director: Gopi KrishnaGopi KrishnaGopi Krishna of India was a yogi, mystic, teacher, social reformer, and writer. His autobiography is known under the title Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man....
(choreography) - Costume Design: Bhanu AthaiyaBhanu AthaiyaBhanu Athaiya née Rajopadhye is Indian cinema's most well-regarded costume designer, having worked in over 100 films, since 1950s, with noted filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowariker, and international directors like Conrad Rooks and Richard Attenborough.She made her...
Music
Another highlight of the film was its music by the duo Shankar JaikishanShankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971....
, then at the peak of their career, who gave a highly restrained yet fully Indian classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
-based score in the four songs, another rarity in the period film of the era to have so few songs. All the song were sung by Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
who also has some of her career's finest among them, including, Tujhe yaad karte, Neel gagan ki chaon mein, and Jao re jogi tum jao re .
In popular culture
A scene clipping from the film, was used in the Dhoom tana song dance sequence in film Om Shanti Om (2007), wherein Deepika PadukoneDeepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
dances as Vyjayantimala, who was digitally removed from the frames, as Deepika was playing the role an actor of the 1970s.
See also
- List of historical drama films of Asia
- List of submissions to the 39th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film