Howrah Bridge

Howrah Bridge poster for sale.

Featured here is a rare vintage Bollywood poster of the old 1958 hit Hindi crime thriller produced and directed by Shakti Samanta that starred Ashok Kumar in the lead role opposite the most beautiful actress in Indian cinema, the “Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood,” Madhubala.

Released under the Shree Shakti Films’ banner, Howrah Bridge (1958) also starred K.N. Singh, Madan Puri, Om Prakash, Dhumal, Sunder, Kammo, Chaman Puri, Mehmood, Minoo Mumtaz and Helen in supporting roles.

Two songs from its soundtrack album, “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” sung by Geeta Dutt featuring Helen and “Aaiye Meherbaan” sung by Asha Bhosle picturized on Madhubala, became a rage throughout the nation and are played till today.

Helen, only 19 at the time, shot to fame after her stellar dance performance in “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu.” Madhubala’s role as cabaret dancer “Edna” is fondly remembered as one of her most memorable performances.

Howrah Bridge was a major critical and commercial success and has become a cult Bollywood film over the years, making this original movie poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during the release run of the film in Kolkata theaters (somewhere in the the 1960s), this Howrah Bridge poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

The artwork of this Madhubala poster was originally designed in hand painted oil on canvas format by a poster design studio in Kolkata.

Ashok Kumar is seen in a striking illustration on the top left of this Howrah Bridge poster. Wearing a trench coat and a hat, he is seen smoking a cigarette and carrying a pistol in his hand. A beautiful hand drawn portrait of actress Madhubala is seen alongside on the right. She appears lying down, playing with her hair.

The iconic Howrah Bridge of Kolkata is seen on the bottom of this old Bollywood poster. Typography used in this Howrah Bridge poster is primarily in Devanagari Hindi, with a translation of the title appearing at the bottom in English as well.

The soundtrack of the film was composed by legendary Bollywood music composer O.P. Nayyar. It finds it’s place in the top Bollywood albums of all time, with timeless classics like “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” and “Aaiye Meherbaan.”