The movie was released in 1980.
The movie is a masala entertainer having both Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in the lead.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan were the entertainment icons, delivering guaranteed entertainment in their films, together as well as individually. They collaborated in several movies, including cult classics like Sholay and Chupke-Chupke, and reunited on screen for Ram Balram.
The points of attraction of Ram Balram, however, were neither Dharmendra nor Amitabh Bachchan. It was the two stunning actresses who appeared together in this film, and interestingly, this is their only collaboration to date in their long career spanning over five decades.
The movie Ram Balram, directed by Vijay Anand, was released in 1980. Ram Balram has a long runtime of 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Indeed, Rekha and Zeenat Aman, both prominent actresses of the 70s and 80s, shared the screen in Ram Balram. Despite their successes and frequent collaborations with other co-stars, this film remained their sole project together. Both their careers were marked by fierce competition for the top spot among the top actresses of that era, making their collaboration in Ram Balram a memorable film in Bollywood history.
During that era, Hema Malini held the position of the leading lady in Hindi cinema. It’s interesting to note that Amitabh Bachchan had reportedly preferred Hema Malini for the role that Zeenat Aman eventually played in Ram Balram. However, Zeenat secured her role in the film through her connection with Dev Anand. It was only due to Dev Anand’s insistence that Vijay Anand, the director, signed Zeenat for the film.
Ram Balram was a typical masala film featuring four seasoned actors. Interestingly, during the film’s shooting, India was under a state of emergency. The filmmakers believed that had it not been for the emergency, they could have chosen even more impressive shooting locations. Despite this challenging circumstance, approximately 95 per cent of the film had been completed by the time the emergency was lifted. While they initially considered reshooting some portions, the passage of time led them to ultimately cancel that decision.
The budget for Ram Balram was approximately Rs 2 crore 10 lakh. In terms of box office collections, the film performed impressively and earned over Rs 4.5 crore in India and Rs 7 crore worldwide. This success positioned Ram Balram as the third-highest-grossing film of 1980, underlining its popularity with audiences during that time.