Amar Bhoopali (English: The Immortal Song, French: Le Chant Immortel) is a 1951 Indian film, produced and directed by V. Shantaram and written by Vishram Bedekar. It is a true story about a simple cow herder who has an innate gift of poetry, set in the waning days of the Maratha confederacy, c. early 19th century. It is an ode to the saffron flag of Marathas, calling on people to rise again against the foreign enemy. It competed for the Grand Prize of the Festival at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
Honaji Bala, a simple cow herder, becomes a legendary bard who has an innate gift of poetry. The film is set in the last days of the Maratha confederacy of the early 19th Century.
Cast
In credits order translated from Marathi
Panditrao Nagarkar as Shahir Honaji Bala
Sandhya as Gunawati
Lalita Pawar as Vitabai
Bhalchandra Pendharkar as Bala Karanjikar
Vishwas as Subedar
Gulab as Suguna
Jairampant as Shastribua
Nimbalkar as Balakaka
Amina as Jamuna
Bandopant Sohoni as Ramji Sowcar
M. George as Elfiston
Stokes as Robinson
Chandorkar as Valajimpat
Kanse as Shiledar
Shiv Kumar as Natya Porga (Boy Dancer)
Music
The music for the film was composed by Vasant Desai, with lyrics penned by Shahir Honaji Bala. The soundtrack consists of twelve songs, featuring vocals by Panditrao Nagarkar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. The song "Ghanashyama Sundara" is from this film.
Track listing
Reception
Accolades
In popular culture
The 1980s advertisement for the Marathi newspaper Maharashtra Times used the song "Ghanashyam Sundara Shreedhara" as part of its jingle.