Amar

Amar poster for sale.

Featured here is an actual surviving vintage Bollywood poster of the old 1954 black and white Hindi film that was produced and directed by legendary filmmaker Mehboob Khan and starred two of the biggest superstars of Bollywood – the ultimate method actor of Indian cinema Dilip Kumar and the Marilyn Monroe of India, Madhubala along with Nimmi.

Released under the Mehboob Productions banner, Amar (1954) also starred Jayant, Ulhas, Mukri and Murad in supporting roles.

The film dealt with the complex subject of consent. On a stormy night, Sonia (Nimmi), a poor milkmaid takes refuge in the home of an affluent and successful advocate called Amarnath (Dilip Kumar) after fleeing the advances of local goon Shankar (Jayant) at a fair. However, Amarnath is overpowered by his feelings of lust for Sonia and ends up raping and impregnating her. Amarnath’s wife Anju Roy (Madhubala) is a feminist who advocates for the rights of the underprivileged. She discovers the truth and decides to save Sonia from becoming an outcast in her village and get him married to Amar.

Printed and circulated during the first release of the film in theaters (somewhere in 1954), this Amar poster was originally intended for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

This vintage Bollywood poster was originally designed in hand painted oil on canvas format by one of the leading poster art studios of Bombay called Seth Studios and features stunning artwork.

A large close up of actress Nimmi is seen on the top right, while Madhubala is seen in a close up at the bottom left of this Amar poster. Actor Dilip Kumar is seen in a striking illustration at the center in a full figure portrait. The arrangement of the three individual portraits suggests the triangular theme of the film.

Typography used in this old Dilip Kumar poster is entirely in English. The title of the film appears in a solid yellow font accentuated with a white border at the bottom of this Amar poster. The background appears a rustic brown true to the film’s rural setting, while an old temple is seen in the distance on the top left

The soundtrack album of Amar (1954) was composed by legendary music composer Naushad, while lyrics were written by Shakeel Badayuni. It featured gems such as “Na Shikwa Hai Koi Na Koi Gila Hai,” “Na Milta Gham Toh Barbadi Ke Afsane Kahan Jaate” and “Tere Sadke Balam Na Kar Koi Gham” all sung by the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar. “Insaaf Ka Mandir Hai Ye Bhagwan Ka Ghar Hai” sung by Mohammed Rafi was another popular track from the music album.