Anthony Gonsalves

Those who have been Amitabh Bachchan Fans, how can they forget the cult movie “Amar Akbar Anthony” and hum along the song “My name is Anthony Gonsalves”, where Amitabh Bachchan comes out from an Easter egg. But did anyone know that initially the character which Amitabh Bachchan played was named Anthony Rodriguez and not Anthony Gonsalves.

When Manmohon Desai was making the film  “Amar Akbar Anthony” in 1977 ,  The character of Amitabh Bachchan was initially names as Anthony Rodriguez. Later at some stage, Pyarelaal, the music director of this film renamed this character as Anthony Gonsalves paying a tribute to his violin teacher and mentor.

Anthony Prabhu Gonsalves (12 June 1927 – 18 January 2012) was an Indian musical composer, music arranger and teacher born in the village of Majorda (near Margao in Portuguese Goa), who during the mid-1950s, attempted to merge the symphonies of his Goan heritage with the Hindustani melodies and rhythms in films of the day. He found his first job in the city as a violinist in the group of the composer Naushad in 1943. He taught Pyarelaal Sharma of Laxmikant-Pyarelal team and has worked with most of the legendary composers of the 1950s and 1960s. He worked with B R Chopra (Naya Daur) and Chetan  Anand (Haqeeqat).

Gonsalves is also a mentor to the late Rahul Dev Burman and Pyarelal of the Lakshmikant-Pyarelal team - stalwarts of the golden age of Hindi film songs in the 50s-70s. At 83, Gonsalves  was awarded the Karmaveer Puraskar, a national people's award during 2010  at the 41st International Film Festival of India in Panaji, Goa's capital, before he left for heavenly aboard in 2012.

Gonsalves quitted the film Industry in 1965 and went to America for some research work on music. Later, even after he returned from America a decade later, never swung his baton again. In fact, he scarcely bothered to let his former colleagues know that he was back. Musicians in Bombay and Goa, many of them insisted that he was still in America – if indeed he was still alive.

Gonsalves played a variety of Instruments like Guiter , Violin , flute etc and it can be well estimated how talented he was when his name is associated with R D Burman and Pyarelaal Sharma as their music teacher and Mentor.  It is unfortunate that many people are unaware of this character in Indian Music and Bollywood movie history . We Pay our gratitude to the legendary Pyarelaal Sharma to Make the name Anthony  Gonsalves immortal through the song “My name is Anthony Gonsalves



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