Do Badan

Do Badan poster for sale.

Featured here is an actual surviving vintage Bollywood poster of the old 1966 Hindi romantic drama directed by Raj Khosla that starred Manoj Kumar and Asha Parekh in lead roles.

Produced by Huda Bihari and released under the J.B. Productions banner, Do Badan (1966) also starred Simi Garewal, Pran, Wasti, Manmohan Krishna, Mohan Choti, Dhumal, Shivraj, Birbal and Lalita Kumari in supporting roles.

Do Badan (1966) was inspired by the super hit Dilip Kumar starer, Deedar (1951), which also inspired the Tamil film Neengadha Ninaivu (1963) and Turkish classic, Seven Unutmaz (1978).

Do Badan (1966) told the story of two college students from different classes of society who fall in love with each other. Vikas (Manoj Kumar) is poor but a diligent student who wants to finish his graduation and support his family, while Asha (Asha Parekh) is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. After his father passes away, Vikas is forced to give up his dreams of pursuing a degree and quits college. To help, Asha gets him a job with her father. Things take a turn for the worse when Asha’s father discovers their love for each other. In a fit of rage he announces her engagement to an evil rich businessman Ashwini (Pran) and sacks Vikas. When Ashwini realizes the woman he is engaged to is actually in love with someone else, he decides to eliminate Vikas. In the guise of offering Vikas another job in Delhi, Ashwini asks him to drive there in his jeep, the brakes of which have been sabotaged. Vikas loses his eyesight in the near fatal accident that follows and is treated by Dr. Anjali (Simi Garewal), later becoming a singer to support himself. In the meantime, Ashwini marries Asha against her wishes. The story of the two star-crossed lovers ends in tragedy, with the two dying together.

Printed and circulated during a subsequent release run of the film (somewhere in the late 1960s), this old Bollywood poster was designed for publicity of the film in north Indian theaters but never ended up being used.

This Do Badan poster was originally designed in hand painted oil on canvas format by a Bollywood poster artist in Delhi called Somnath Dua and features striking artwork.

A stunning illustrated portrait of the lead couple Manoj Kumar and Asha Parekh in an embrace is seen prominently against a minimalist background.

Typography used in this Do Badan poster is a mix of both English as well as Devanagari Hindi, with the title appearing in red accentuated with a white and black border. An announcement on the top left of this old minimal Bollywood poster reads, “A Peerless Tale of Sublime Love,” giving away the plot of the film.

The soundtrack album of Do Badan (1966) was composed by Ravi, while lyrics were written by Shakeel Badayuni. The album was a super hit success upon it’s release, with memorable songs such as “Bhari Duniya Mein Aakhir Dil Ko Samjhane Kahan Jaye”, “Naseeb Men Jiske Jo Likha Tha” and “Raha Gardishon Mein Hardam Mere Ishq Ka Sitara” all sung by Mohammed Rafi. “Lo Aa Gayi Unki Yaad Woh Nahin Aaye” sung by Lata Mangeshkar and “Jab Chali Thandi Hawa” sung by Asha Bhosle were also very popular hits.