Paheli

Paheli movie poster for sale.

Featured here is a rare surviving original Bollywood poster of the old 2005 Hindi film directed by Amol Palekar that starred the “Baadshah of Bollywood,” Shah Rukh Khan in a double role opposite actress Rani Mukerji.

A fantasy drama jointly produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla under the Red Chillies banner, Paheli (2005) also starred Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Suniel Shetty, Rajpal Yadav, Aditi Govitrikar and A. K. Hangal in supporting roles. Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah lent their voice to puppets in the film.

Paheli (2005) was based on a folklore short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani called Duvidha, which was first adapted into a film by the same name in 1973. Set in a village in Rajasthan, the film tells the story of a husband who leaves his newly married wife to go on a merchant trip, only to have a ghost disguised as him take his place. Superstar SRK essayed the double role of husband and the ghost who impersonates him in this intriguing film.

Although only moderately successful at the box office, Paheli (2005) was critically well received and became India’s official entry to the 79th Academy Awards, making this SRK poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during the film’s first release in theaters (somewhere in 2005), this Paheli movie poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

Two striking side profile close ups of superstar Shah Rukh Khan are seen on either side of the poster. He is dressed in traditional Rajasthani clothing, with a large turban on his head. The mirror images of superstar SRK give away the double role plot of the film.

Actress Rani Mukerji is seen in traditional rural Rajasthani attire with a dupatta covering her head at the center of this Paheli movie poster. The expression on her face captures the confusion between her husband and his impersonating spirit.

An engraved gate is seen faintly in the background on the top, while the bottom shows desert sand. Typography used in this original Shahrukh Khan poster is completely in English.

The soundtrack album of Paheli (2005) was composed by M.M. Kreem, while lyrics were written by Gulzar. The song “Dheere Jalna” sung by Sonu Nigam & Shreya Ghoshal became extremely popular during the film’s release. It bagged Shreya Ghoshal Best Female Playback Singer at the 53rd National Film Awards.