Old Bengali poster for sale: Bhishma (1962).
Featured here is an actual surviving vintage Bengali cinema poster of the 1962 Telugu mythological drama produced and directed by B.A. Subba Rao that starred the biggest film star of south India, N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) in the titular role as Bhishma.
Based on the story of the Mahabharata (one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India), the film highlighted the sacrifice of Bhishma in giving up his birthright to the throne and choosing a life of celibacy. Bhishma (1962) also starred Anjali Devi, Haranath Shobhan, Babu Gummadi, Dhulipala, A.V. Subba Rao, A.V. Subba Rao Jr and G. Varalakshmi in supporting roles.
Printed and circulated during the film’s Bengali release (somewhere in 1974), this old Bhishma movie poster was designed for publicity of the film in Kolkata theaters but never ended up being used.
This old Bengali poster was originally hand painted on canvas by a poster design studio in Kolkata and features striking artwork.
Superstar N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) is seen illustrated in his character of Bhishma. He is depicted in the epic battle of Kurukshetra, riding in a chariot and taking aim from his bow. A battlefield strewn with soldiers and horse chariots is seen in a blood red background.
Typography used in this old NT Rama Rao movie poster is entirely in Bengali, with the title appearing in a very creatively designed stylized font, encased in a black blurb at the bottom.
The soundtrack album of Bhishma (1962) was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao, while lyrics were written by Aarudhra.
