Allah Rakha (film)
Allah Rakha is a 1986 Bollywood Masala film directed by Ketan Desai and starring Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia, Meenakshi Seshadri, Shammi Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman. The film is notable as the protagonist, played by Shroff, is a Muslim, unusual in Hindi cinema. Film fared moderately well at the box office. The film is now considered a cult classic and a real masala entertainer.
Story
Karim Khan accepts the blame for a murder that his boss, Don had committed and is consequently sent to prison. When Khan's wife Razia visits Don to collect her husband's salary, he tries to rape her, but she escapes. Don is then arrested by Inspector Anwar.Soon, Inspector Anwar and his wife Salma's only son Iqbal develops a heart condition which can only be cured with a pacemaker. Since the only chemist selling the pacemaker belongs to Don, Inspector Anwar is blackmailed by Don's goons to release Don in exchange for the pacemaker. Anwar reluctantly agrees and gets the pacemaker for his son, which happens to have the number 786 written on it.
Later on, Don's henchmen kidnap Iqbal, but before they can kill him, he is rescued by Razia, who swaps him with her own dead infant. Sadly, Razia is killed by Don's goons after they hit her with their car. Thinking that her son is dead, Salma runs out into the middle of the road in shock, is hit by a passing truck and loses her eyesight.
When Karim Khan is released from prison, he is handed Iqbal, whom everyone thinks is his son. He then kills Don to avenge his wife's death. Before being arrested by the police, Khan hands over the infant to Salma, asking her to raise him until his sentence is completed. He names the child "Allah-Rakha".
Allah-Rakha grows up to be an honest and brave young man, but is unable to gain admission into the University due to the corrupt Mr Khera. He resorts to running a roadside "Panch Tara" hotel.
Khera then frames Allah-Rakha as being the mastermind behind a series of fatal TV bomb attacks that were talking place all over town. Allah-Rakha is arrested and in prison is reunited with his father Karim Khan.
When Karim Khan is released from jail, he's confronted by Don's son, Don Jr. who has come to avenge his father. He shoots Karim Khan, but the latter survives. When Don Jr. tries to kill Allah-Rakha, he is killed instead. Allah-Rakha then switches places with him and assumes the guise of Don Jr., while the world thinks that Allah-Rakha is dead.
When Karim Khan regains consciousness in the hospital, he immediately seeks out Don Jr. and wounds him seriously, not knowing that he is in fact Allah-Rakha in disguise. In the hospital while operating on Allah-Rakha, the doctor discovers his 786 pacemaker and thus reveals that he is in fact Inspector Anwar and Salma's son Iqbal.
Allah-Rakha, aka Iqbal, with the help of Khera's daughter Julie, telecast the video in which Khera admits to being the man responsible for the TV bombs as well as a host of other crimes. Khera and his men are arrested while Iqbal is reunited with his family.
Cast
- Jackie Shroff as Allah Rakha / Iqbal / Don
- Dimple Kapadia as Julie Khera
- Meenakshi Sheshadri as Rani
- Shammi Kapoor as Karim Khan
- Biswajeet as Inspector Anwar
- Waheeda Rehman as Advocate Salma Anwar
- Aruna Irani as Razia
- Bindu as Banu
- Gulshan Grover as Zaffar Anwar
- Anupam Kher as R.S. Khera
- Goga Kapoor as Goga
- Bob Christo as Don
- Ramesh Deo as Police Inspector
- Mushtaq Merchant as Gullu Ustad
- Mac Mohan as Goon
- Sudhir as Goon
- Narendrasinh Dilipsinh as Rana
- Chandrashekhar as Doctor
Production
The film does have quite a few connections to Manmohan Desai's earlier movie Coolie:
- In both the movies, the protagonists name is "Iqbal" and his mother's name is "Salma", a role played by Waheeda Rehman in both movies. Also the name of the leading lady is "Julie" in both films.
- Both movies were set in a Muslim background.
- The scene showing people boarding the ship to go for pilgrimage is the same one used in both movies.
- "Allah-Rakha" is the name that Jackie's character is given in this movie by Karim Khan, while in "Coolie" it is the name of Amitabh's falcon.
- In this movie, Iqbal's pacemaker has the number 786 written on it, while in "Coolie" it was Amitabh's arm badge number.
- Much of the background music used in both movies is the same.
Music
The song "Na Amar, Na Akbar, Na Main Anthony" references four of Manmohan Desai's films: Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb, Coolie and Mard. All of these films had Amitabh Bachchan in the starring role.
| # | Song | Singer |
| 1 | "Main Allah Rakha" | Mohammed Aziz |
| 2 | "Parvar Digare Aalam" – Part 1 | Mohammed Aziz |
| 3 | "Parvar Digare Aalam" – Part 2 | Mohammed Aziz |
| 4 | "Chaahe Sholo Mein Jala Do" | Mohammed Aziz, Asha Bhosle |
| 5 | "Na Amar, Na Akbar, Na Main Anthony" | Shabbir Kumar, Asha Bhosle |
| 6 | "Parvar Digare Aalam" | Asha Bhosle |
| 7 | "Badtameezi Pe Hum Aa Gaye" | Asha Bhosle |
| 8 | "Doli Leke Yahan Koi Aata Nahin" | Lata Mangeshkar |
Trivia
- The script was written with Amitabh Bachchan in mind to play the title role, but he had gone into politics and was not doing films, so the role went to Jackie Shroff.
- Sanjeev Kumar, Rakhee Gulzar and Rati Aghnihotri were to do the roles of Biswajeet, Waheeda Rehman and Dimple Kapadia respectively.
- The song 'Chahe Sholo Pe Jalado' was recorded after the film was complete and then it was added to the film. This song was an additional song.
- *After Allah-Rakha, Ketan Desai was starting a film with Mithun Chakraborty.
- *This Ketan Desai film was titled 'Rozi Roti', but then he started Toofan, with Amitabh Bachchan.
- *Rozi Roti was shelved, instead Manmohan Desai cast Mithun in Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi.
- In the scene where Don Jr. shoots Karin Khan, the background music playing was earlier used in Coolie. The music was used in the climax scene of Coolie.
- The Jackie Shroff double role character's in the film had an interesting story. Years earlier, Amitabh Bachchan was acting in a film titled Khuda Gawah. The film script revolved around a good Amitabh versus an evil Amitabh. When the film got shelved, Ketan Desai took that part of Khuda Gawahs script and added it to Allah Rakha. That is how Allah Rakha had a good Jackie Shroff and a bad Jackie Shroff.
- Meenakshi Sheshadri's role as a feisty prostitute with a heart of gold was much appreciated; despite the limited length of her role; her acting and dance numbers on the songs "Doli leke yahan" and "Batameeze pe hum aagaye" were much appreciated by audiences and critics. It was daring of Sheshadri to play the role of a prostitute at that time, it proved her versatility as an actress and is considered to be one of her most memorable performances.
- The sizzling chemistry between Jackie Shroff and Dimple Kapadia was instantly liked in their first film together and they went on to star in several films together after this including Ram Lakhan, Kaash, Angaar and Gardish.