Daadi Maa

Drama movie posters for sale: Daadi Maa (1966).

Featured here is an actual surviving original Bollywood poster of the old 1966 Hindi film produced and directed by L.V. Prasad that starred Durga Khote in the titular role of Daadi Maa along with Ashok Kumar and Bina Rai in key roles.

Presented under L.V. Prasad’s prestigious Prasad Productions Madras banner, Daadi Maa (1966) also starred Rehman, Mumtaz, Tanuja, Shashikala, Mehmood, David, Kanhaiyalal, Chand Usmani, Mohan Choti, Purnima, Mukri and Dilip Raj in supporting roles.

Daadi Maa (1966) told the story of bitter enmity within a royal family. Raja Pratap Rai (Ashok Kumar) and his stepmother Rajmata aka Daadi Maa (Durga Khote) are at war with one another. Raja Pratap Rai’s compassionate wife Rani Maa Parvati Devi (Bina Rai) tries to mend the relationship but to no avail. Things take a dramatic turn when municipal elections are announced. Raja Pratap Rai, who is a hardcore feudalist, leaves no stone unturned to win office, even asking his campaign managers to buy votes in exchange for money. Daadi Maa pledges her support and power for a commoner who is a diehard socialist. He is also helped by Rani Maa Parvati Devi’s socialist brother, Dr. Bharati (Rehman). Socialism triumphs over feudalism and Raja Pratap Rai is furious having lost both the elections and his honor. He mistakenly believes his wife Rani Maa Parvati Devi had a role to play in his defeat, whom he accuses of conspiring with her brother Dr. Bharati. In a fit of rage, Raja Pratap Rai casts his pregnant wife out of his life. She takes refuge in her brother’s Dr. Bharati’s home where she delivers her son. At the same time, Daadi Maa’s daughter-in-law also delivers a son in hiding, handing him over to Dr. Bharati’s care before passing away. Dr. Bharati brings the infant home keeping his true identity a secret. Parvati Devi breastfeeds the child along with her own son, believing him to be a poor orphan. When Raja Pratap Rai learns he has become a father, he comes to Dr. Bharati’s home and snatches the young infant away. However, unknown to him, the child whom he believes is his biological son is in fact the grandson of his arch nemesis, Daadi Maa, while his real son continues to be raised by his wife in Dr. Bharati’s home. Parvati Devi now vows to take advantage of this switch to bring an end to the two warring families for good. She reunites with her husband carrying her biological son with her, whom she declares an orphan adopted by her. Raja Pratap Rai orders a maid to raise the child in his servant quarters, not knowing that the child is actually his biological son.

Printed and circulated during the initial release run of the film (somewhere in the late 1960s), this Daadi Maa poster was designed and printed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

This old drama movie poster was originally designed in hand painted oil on canvas format by a Bombay-based Bollywood poster art studio.

True to the genre of the film, this vintage Bollywood poster features dramatic artwork. Ashok Kumar is seen in a fit of rage wanting to shoot his own biological son, whom he believes to be the the grandson of his stepmother. Actress Tanuja is seen holding on to the barrel of the rifle, trying to save her lover. The two step brothers who were mixed up at birth are seen on the right of this drama movie poster. A royal mansion is seen in the background of this vintage Bollywood poster.

Typography used in this Ashok Kumar poster is primarily in English, with the title translated to Devanagari Hindi as well as Urdu. The English title is seen illustrated in red standing out against a black strip.

The soundtrack album of Daadi Maa (1966) was composed by Roshan, while lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. It featured the hit song “Jata Hoon Main Mujhe Ab Na Bulana” sung by Mohammed Rafi. Another song from the film that equated motherly love with God’s, “Usko Nahin Dekha Humne Kabhi” (Ae Maa Teri Surat Se Alag) sung by Manna Dey and Mahendra Kapoor was very popular at the time of the film’s release.