rekha amitabh rare pics

Highly collectible old Bollywood cinema showcards of the hit Hindi film Ram Balram (1980) for sale.

This is an actual surviving set of six old Bollywood cinema showcards of the 1980 film that featured two of the biggest superstars in Indian cinema of the time, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.

Printed and circulated somewhere during the original first release of the film, this fabulous set of old Bollywood cinema showcards was originally designed for publicity of the film inside a theater.

Showcards were used as pin ups on notice boards inside foyers of cinema halls. Printed on photo paper, they are mounted on cardboard to make them easy to display.

This rare surviving set of old Bollywood cinema showcards was actually issued to a cinema hall that screened the film Ram Balram, making it highly collectible!

This stunning set comprises six individual showcards, originally designed on canvas boards in hand painted format by the greatest and highest paid Bollywood movie poster artist of all time, Diwakar Karkare (owner of Studio Diwakar), further adding to its desirability and collectible quotient.

Artist Diwakar Karkare’s signature style and mastery over the paint brush is evident in the captivating artwork of these old Bollywood cinema showcards. Credited with designing most of Amitabh Bachchan’s old movies posters, Diwakar paints Amitabh’s face flawlessly using two different textures – one a more rugged and macho portrait in an action packed setting; and a second more softer style to capture him in his romantic best opposite Rekha in this stunning rare picture painted showcard. Villains Ajit, Amjad Khan and Prem Chopra are seen in stunning portraits on one of the showcards as well.

Released in 1980, Ram Balram starred Dharmendra as “Ram” and Amitabh Bachchan as “Balram.” Zeenat Aman and Rekha were paired opposite the two, while Ajit, Amjad Khan and Prem Chopra were cast as villains in the film. The film marked the third successful venture of Bollywood’s biggest superstars of the time, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, who previously were seen in Chupke Chupke and the cult classic, Sholay.

Ram Balram was released at the time when Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s rumored secret affair had received widespread publicity. In the following year, the cult romantic classic Silsila was released, making it the last film to feature Rekha opposite Amitabh Bachchan.