Marking 30 years this year, Aatank Hi Aatank was a movie inspired by The Godfather, starring Rajnikanth, Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Pooja Bedi and several others
The Aamir Khan Film Festival inaugurated recently keeping in mind the superstar’s 60th birthday has all the movies which made him the great actor he is today- Ghulam, QSQT, Lagaan, Ghajini and countless others. But this piece deals with a forgotten flop movie made 30 years ago called Aatank Hi Aatank (1995).
As you start watching the movie, you realize its loosely based on The Godfather (1972). The movie revolves around a farmer who moves to the city with his wife and kids and becomes a gangster. Starring none other than Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla, the film throws up a lot of other well-known actors as it progresses.
The parts generously borrowed from Ford’s iconic movie are the intro marriage scene, the first assassination attempt of the gangster near a fruit cart, the son (Aamir in this case, Al Pacino in the original) taking revenge and ultimately him becoming the don. Interestingly, this isn’t the only Godfather connection that Aamir has in his films, in Akele Hum Akele Tum, where he is paired opposite Madhuri Dixit, the song Raja Ko Rani Se Pyaar Hogaya is actually inspired from the The Godfather theme.
The last 45 minutes give sudden unexpected friendly appearance- Kabir Bedi in a role as a police officer in role that doesn’t suit his stature at all and Om Puri as a hitman with a rottweiler. The movie has atleast three actors opposite Aamir who had given blockbusters with him in previous movies- Pooja Bedi as a dacoit who falls in love with him, previously seen opposite him in JJWS; Dalip Tahil as a shady character who was Aamir’s dad in QSQT; and the biggest one ofcourse Juhi Chawla, the main lead in Aamir’s debut blockbuster QSQT.
