Purab Aur Paschim

Spectacular hand painted Bollywood movie poster of one of the memorable patriotic films in Indian cinema, Purab Aur Paschim (1970) for sale.

This is an actual surviving vintage poster of the 1970 romantic Hindi film that featured Manoj Kumar and Saira Banu in lead roles.

Printed and circulated during the release of the film, this vintage movie poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

This poster was originally designed on a hand painted canvas making it highly collectible.

The poster captures the lead protagonist Manoj Kumar in a spectacular hand drawn portrait at the center, with other characters seamlessly appearing surrounding him. Typography used in this poster is completely in Devanagari Hindi, except for the production credits at the top which appear in English.

Purab Aur Paschim (East & West) is a 1970 Hindi film produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, who starred in the lead role opposite Saira Banu. The other cast of the film included Ashok Kumar, Pran and Prem Chopra. The music of the film was composed by Kalyanji Anandji.

This was the second film by Manoj Kumar where he appeared as a character named “Bharat” or “India” (the first being Upkar) and his fourth film on patriotism (Shaheed, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan and Kranti). The name stuck on and Manoj Kumar is routinely referred to as “Bharat Kumar” till today.

Shot in London during the height of the hippie movement of the 1960s, Purab Aur Paschim captured the free spirited lifestyle of the British. The lead actress of the film, Saira Banu is cast as an Indian woman who has been westernized completely by living in the UK. She appears on screen smoking, drinking and wearing skimpy outfits, leading a life contrary to Indian culture and traditional values.

Purab Aur Paschim is said to have inspired the 2007 film Namastey London starring Akshay Kumar & Katrina Kaif. The remake pays tribute to the original through a dialog in the film, where Akshay Kumar tells Katrina Kaif that if she wants to learn more about India, she should see Purab Aur Paschim.

In the film, Manoj Kumar plays the son of a freedom fighter who goes to London for higher studies where he meets Saira Banu and a love story unfolds. Purab Aur Paschim captures the dramatic differences between cultures of the East and West and explores the idea of intercultural relationships.