Chameli Memsaheb poster for sale.
Featured here is an actual surviving original Bengali cinema poster of the 1978 black and white Bangla drama directed by Indar Sen that starred Rakhee Gulzar in the titular role of Chameli.
Based on a short story written by Nirode Choudhury, the film was a remake of the hit Assamese movie, Chameli Memsaab (1975).
Produced by N.R. Productions, Chameli Memsaheb (1978) was set in the beautiful tea estates of Assam. It told the story of romance that blossoms between a British tea estate owner called Berkeley (played by George Baker) and a happy-go-lucky tea harvester who works at the estate called Chameli (played by Rakhee Gulzar). Despite their glaring differences in status, the two get married. However, when Chameli dies, Berkeley is believed to be responsible.
Anil Chatterjee, Tarun Kumar, Nimu Bhowmik, Chinmoy Ray, Gita Dey, Sanghita Mukhopadhyay and Tapati Bhattacharya played supporting roles in the film.
Printed and circulated during the first release of the film in theaters (somewhere in 1978), this Chameli Memsaheb poster was designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.
This old Bengali cinema poster was originally designed in mixed media format using a combination of both hand painted oil on canvas as well as photographic collage techniques by a poster design studio in Kolkata and features striking artwork.
Actress Rakhee Gulzar is seen in a stunning black and white still photo, smiling and playing with a little girl who plays her daughter. A large still photo of George Baker’s face is seen on the top left.
Typography used in this old Chameli Memsaheb poster is entirely in Bengali, with the title appearing in a very creatively styled font in red. Set against a yellow background, it stands out in stark contrast. Alternating black and red stripes are seen in the background of the lower half of this old Bengali cinema poster.
The soundtrack album of Chameli Memsaheb (1978) was composed by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika who also lent his voice to one of the songs along with legendary singers such as Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar.
