I asked which of the women was the best match the jewel thief, Dev Anand: super spunky Anju (Tanuja), sensitive Shalu (Vyjayanthimala) or the vivascious Helen? All through Jewel Thief I kept wondering how Vyjayanthimala could be in a movie without dancing?
Then finally at the movie’s climax she delivered in this fantastic number “Hoton Pe Aisi Baat” withLata Mangeshkar as the playback singer. Once again the music is by S.D. Burman. It’s because of this number that I officially choose Vyjayanthimala as my match for the jewel thief:
And for a little extra fun, since I love to see Johnnie Walker used in Bollywood movies, not to be confused withJohnny Walker, who I also like to see in Bollywood movies, I’ll include a few screen images from the movie featuring Johnnie Walker.
If the last 2 numbers featured from Jewel Thief (1967) I posted here don’t make you want to see the movie, this one will. Two days back there was the heartfelt“Rula Ke gaya Sapna Mera,” then there was the upbeat “Raat Akeli Hai.” I posed the question about who you think Dev Anand, the jewel thief, should choose: super spunky Anju (Tanuja) or sensitive Shalu (Vyjayanthimala)? Well now there’s another lady in the film to consider:
“Vayjanti bores me to tears (by her tears) in this one-Dev actually had the option of going out with Tanuja in the movie, who is far more cheerful and peppy- and he chose the former! it boggles the mind.”
Take a look at Tanuja‘s attempt to seduce Dev Anand here in “Raat Akeli Hai” with playback singer extrodinaire, Asha Bhosle, music by S.D. Burman. Yes, Anju (Tanuja) is certainly more spunky and enthusiastic than the sensitive and weepy Shalu (Vyjayanthimala), but more importantly, Anju has a super cool house! Who do you think is a better choice for the jewel thief, Anju or Shalu?
Since I love the talent shows of India, here’s SVOI Chote Ustad’s 2008 winner Aishwarya Mujmudar’s version of “Raat Akeli Hai,” the sound quality is poor, but she does a fantastic job. Plus, you get to see Alka-ji give the young girl a necklace and many tears of gratitude flow. I love Alka!
It’s possible for me to love the costumes, characters, sets, and music of a film, without actually loving the film. That’s what happened to me with Jewel Thief (1967). What a such a stylish movie! It’s nonstop eye candy. Philip’sFil-ums has a compact, but power packed synopsis of the film here.
Jewel Thief is a 1967 Indian Hindi film. The film is a crime thriller, and stars Dev Anand,Vyjayantimala, Ashok Kumar, Tanuja, Anju Mahendru, Sachin and Helen. Vinay, an ordinary young man who finds himself constantly mistaken for a look-alike jewel thief named Amar. Vinay works with the police to impersonate Amar and crack his crime ring–but it seems that Amar has decided to impersonate Vinay, as well, and soon their true identities are thoroughly muddled. (wikipedia)
Here Shalu is perplexed about who she thinks is her fiance ignoring her. Is he Vinay or Amar? Watch the scene HERE.
This confusion drives poor Shalu to this:
Ah, Shalu, we’ve all been there! It’s always darkest before the dawn. To the rescue comes Dev’s character to deliver the wisdom of Bollywood:
I don’t mean to bring you down with such a sad song, but hey it’s Sunday, the time to reflect on life, get a bit melancholy about going back to work tomorrow, so this is really a perfect song for that mood: “Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera” by playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, picturised on Vyjayanthimala with Dev Anand lurking in the background. The music is by S.D. Burman.
Dosto! Sometimes I love a movie so much that I could post so many screen images and videos from it that it would amount to having you see the entire movie. Such is the case with Naya Daur (1957). Just look at these swell images and I know you will understand my excitement:
With images this exciting and beautiful, imagine how enjoyable it was to see the entire movie. I’ve already posted about Naya Daur here before, but I’m not through. I loved Minoo Mumtazand Kumkum pictured here in “Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka” from this classic film. This is another spectacular song byO. P. Nayyar and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi. The playback singers are Asha Bhosle and Shamshad Begum, who is said to be one of the first playback singers in the Indian film industry. “Shamshad became a national rage between the 1940s and mid-1960s rendering songs in her nasal voice, which helped her carve her independent–and till date unchallenged–niche in the world of music.” (wikipedia)
Reshmi Shalwar Kudta Jali Ka from Naya Daur (New age) a Bollywood Classic song from an excellent movie re-made in color version. This song is brilliantly sung by Shamshad Begum. Naya Daur is a 1957 Indian drama film starring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Ajit and Jeevan. Originally filmed in Black and white, the film was colourized and re-released on 3 August 2007.
Lyricsin Hindi, and if you find them in English or want to translate them, please post.
WOW! I saw the classic Naya Daur (New Age) this week and LOVED IT! It’s a drama of man vs. machine. I threw out every machine in my house after seeing it, but then I went out and replaced them all when I understood, if used correctly and without taking away human dignity, they’re OK.
Naya Daur is a 1957 Indian drama film starringDilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Ajit and Jeevan. The film is set in post-independence India where Industrialization is slowly creeping in.The focus is on Tangawallahs who earn their living transporting people from place to place on Tangas (horse – carts). Their livelihood is threatened when the son of a rich landlord (Jeevan) begins operating a bus service in the town,which he subsidizes heavily with the sole intention of first driving the Tangawallahs out of the down and then making profits. Dilip Kumar plays one of the Tangawallahs who petitions the landlord over this injustice.Then, Jeevan’s character proposes a competition to decide which service is the best – The Bus or the Tanga? It is then decided that there will be a race between both the vehicles. The highlight of the film is definitely the heart stopping final race where the underdog wins and how? (wikipedia)
Check out what upperstall has to say about this movie. There’s also an official website since the 1957 film was colorized and re-released in all its glory in July, 2007. The fancy re-release of the classic has a supplementary disc where you can see Yash Choprā interview the film’s director, his brother, B. R. Chopra, who he calls, “bhai sahib” in the interview, which I loved. So formal! He even wishes his brother the oh so Indian, “All the best!” at the end of the interview. I’d love to interview my own brother and call him brother sir, he’d be so confused. Anyway, the supplemental disc has lots of nice tidbits, like Yash Choprā saying, “43 years ago, a time when people made films with their head and hearts and not just with calculators in their hands.”B. R. Chopra laments that “today’s artists are business men, not so much passion, artists only reworking the same story over and over.” B. R. Chopra speaks of hiring a large group of bangra folk dancers for the movie, worth every rupee I’d say. He also talks about how Vyjayanthimala‘s role was originally intended for Madhubala, but her father refused her participation in the film for fear she’d romantically reinvolve herself with heart-breaker, Dilip Kumar. The musical launch segment has both Chopra brothers, Aditya Chopra, Vyjayanthimala, Dilip Kumar, and Asha Bhosle, all looking great in 2007!
The music in this film by O. P. Nayyar is spectacular! As upperstall writes, “The film is a musical triumph for OP Nayyar and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi. Each of the songs in the film was a raging hit and won OP Nayyar the Filmfare Award for Best Music.” I especially liked the devotional song “Aana Hai To Aa” by playback singer Mohammed Rafi.This song offers that Bollywood wisdom that I love. Here are the lyrics in English, but I bet the Hindi is richer, more meaningful and more beautiful:
Come if you have to
There are no turns in the path
There is delay but no denial
Come if you have to
When you can’t solve your problems
Have faith in the Lord’s justice
He will resolve your problems
What you couldn’t do the Lord will
He knows everything that’s in your heart
The Lord knows your every condition
Your wishes are fulfilled without asking
Those whose hearts are pure get to take shelter here
Childhood sweethearts, Devdas (Dilip Kumar) and Parvati or Paro (Suchitra Sen) grow up in a small village with a love-hate relationship which changes to love when they mature. Devdas comes from a very rich and wealthy family. His dad does not approve of his marriage or even any friendship with Paro, and sends him away to Calcutta. Disheartened Devdas gives up on his love, and Paro gets married to a much older man, who has a grown-up son and daughter. Devdas realises he is unable to give up his love for Paro and returns to the village, only to find that she is married. He returns to Calcutta and falls into bad company and alcohol. He is introduced to a dancer, Chandramukhi (Vyjayantimala), who adores him and falls hopelessly in love with him. Devdas in not aware of Chandramukhi’s affection and love for him, as most of his time is spent in a alcoholic stupor, and lust for Paro. (IMDB)
