Retro movie posters for sale: Maa Bahen Aur Biwee (1974).
Featured here is an original vintage Bollywood poster of the old Hindi drama written, produced and directed by Harbance Kumar that starred Kabir Bedi and Prema Narayan in key roles.
Released under the Global Films banner, Maa Bahen Aur Biwee (1974) also featured Raj Kishore, Sushma, Jankidas, Tun Tun, Jugal Kishore and Master Sakka in supporting roles, while David Abraham, Anjana and Tabassum made guest appearances in the film.
Maa Bahen Aur Biwee (1974) told the story of a rural couple Birju (Kabir Bedi) and Mala (Prema Narayan) who have opposing dreams. Mala is a simple, virtuous woman content with her life in the small village she was born and raised in. Birju on the other hand is completely enchanted by city life and westernization. When his best friend Abdul (Raj Kishore) leaves his wife Rehana and his son (Master Sakka) to pursue his city dreams, Birju decides to follow suit. He seeks a loan from evil moneylender Seth Jankidas (Jankidas) and unwittingly mortgages his entire land, believing he will become a millionaire in Bombay in no time and repay the debt. He leaves his wife Mala behind, whom he considers too old fashioned to understand his desire for finding a better life in the city of his dreams. With Birju out of the way and his entire possessions in his control, Seth Jankidas dreams of having Mala for himself. However, when Birju comes to Bombay, he is faced with reality. His friend Abdul, whom he believes has become rich and successful, is actually working as a waiter at a small restaurant. Struggling to survive and in debt, Abdul is unable to help Birju start a new life in the city. Since Birju is strong and handsome, Abdul devises a plan to get him employed with a rich housewife where he can satisfy her desires and make a lot of money in return. His plan becomes successful when he finds an unhappy housewife who hires Birju as a bodyguard for her millionaire husband. However, in reality she wants him to satisfy her physical desires that her husband is unable to. Birju is now torn between his undying love for wife Mala and his need to make it big in the city of dreams. He resists his employer’s advances. However, things take a turn when Seth Jankidas hires a photographer to morph photos of Mala showing her having an affair. Birju feels cheated and is furious. He gives in to his employer’s demands and agrees to pose shirtless for her every night in his bedroom so she can paint a portrait of him when her husband has gone to sleep. One night they are caught red handed and Birju escapes shirtless along with Abdul from his employer’s house. The two encounter a goon (Shetty) who along with his henchmen is trying to murder a nightclub owner and step in to save him. Impressed with his bravery, the nightclub owner hires Birju as a bouncer and Abdul tags along. Believing his wife Mala has cheated on him behind his back in the village, Birju gives in to the advances of dancer Rita at the club and starts an affair with her. In the meanwhile, Abdul, who has now become a gambler and womanizer at the club, receives word of his son’s passing and is devastated. He returns back to his village and promises to give up city life for good. Seth Jankidas shows Mala a photograph of Birju drinking and socializing with women at the nightclub in order to create a rift between them. Mala, knowing his malafide intentions, heads to the city to find out the truth for herself. When she greets Birju in the nightclub with flowers she has picked from the village, he calls her illiterate and characterless, rudely pushing her away. When Abdul learns of this, he returns back to the city in order to help Mala transform from an illiterate, simple village woman to a westernized, modern woman to get Birju to accept her again. Mala dons a blonde wig and pretends to be a foreigner called Lily and becomes a dancer at the nightclub where Birju works. Enamored by her beauty, Birju falls in love with Lily not knowing that she is actually his wife Mala.
Kabir Bedi was featured in several scenes shirtless and in the shower in Maa Bahen Aur Biwee (1974), capitalizing on his sex symbol status. He would later go on to become an Italian sex symbol by starring in the popular TV miniseries Sandokan (1976) and a global sex symbol after being featured in the James Bond film, Octopussy (1983).
Printed and circulated during the first release of the film in theaters (somewhere in the 1974), this retro movie poster was printed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.
This Maa Bahen Aur Biwee poster was originally designed in hand painted oil on canvas format by noted Bombay-based Bollywood poster artist C. Mohan.
Three stunning over painted still photos of actress Prema Narayan in a Western avatar are seen in different shades at the center, with an explosion of polka dots and musical notes in the background. The actress is seen again in her village woman avatar at the bottom left. Actress Sushma is seen in a photographic still at the center embracing child artist Master Sakka who plays her son in the film. A shirtless Kabir Bedi is seen along with Raj Kishore in a photographic still at the bottom right of this Bollywood retro movie poster.
A minimal white background is used in this old Bollywood poster, making the artwork in the foreground stand out. Typography used in this old Maa Bahen Aur Biwee poster is primarily in Devanagari Hindi, with the title translated to English as well as Urdu. The main Devanagari Hindi title appears on the top in a 3D font in red, with a yellow and black border.
The soundtrack album of Maa Bahen Aur Biwee (1974) was composed by Sharda. It contained the memorable song, “Achha Hi Hua Dil Toot Gaya” sung by Mohammed Rafi.
