Dus Numbri

Original Bollywood movie posters for sale: Dus Numbri (1976).

Featured here is an actual surviving original vintage Bollywood poster of the old 1976 Hindi film produced and directed by Madan Mohla that starred Manoj Kumar in the titular role along with Hema Malini in a double role.

Released under the Seven Arts Pictures banner, Dus Numbri (1976) also starred Pran, Bindu, Prem Nath, Kamini Kaushal, Om Shivpuri, David Abraham, Abhi Bhattacharya, Kumud Tripathi, Rajan Haksar, Hercules, Azad, C.S. Dubey, Kamaldeep, Ram Mohan, Rajni Bala and Raju Shrestha in supporting roles.

Printed and circulated during the first release of the film (somewhere in 1976), this rare Bollywood movie poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

Dus Numbri (1976) featured one of the finest performances of actor Manoj Kumar, who is known popularly by the moniker “Bharat Kumar.” Dus Numbri was the biggest hit of the year 1976 and is counted among the top films of the 1970s, making this original Bollywood movie poster highly collectible!

Dus Numbri (1976) told the story of honest police inspector Shivnath (Abhi Bhattacharya) who discovers that his close friend Karamchand (Om Shivpuri) is running a counterfeit currency racket. However, before he can arrest him, Karamchand plants counterfeit currency in inspector Shivnath’s home, leading to his wrongful arrest instead. Karamchand’s wife Sundari (Hema Malini) learns of her husband’s sinister plot and decides to testify in court against him but is killed by his gang members. Their young daughter Anupama is kidnapped and handed over to a criminal called Fernandes. Meanwhile, Shivnath escapes, leaving behind wife Radha (Kamini Kaushal) and a young son Arjun (Manoj Kumar). Unable to bear the shock, Radha loses her mind and has to be institutionalized. Left to fend for himself on the streets, Arjun takes to a life of petty crime and quickly climbs the ranks becoming the Don of his area, earning him the notorious moniker, “Dus Numbri.” Arjun falls in love with petty criminal Rosemary Fernandes (Hema Malini), who is none other than Anupama, the daughter of the very man who destroyed his father’s life.

This vintage Bollywood movie poster features stunning hand painted artwork created by one of the highest paid and most sought after Bollywood poster designers of his time, Diwakar Karkare of Studio Diwakar fame.

A large hand painted portrait of actor Manoj Kumar (who plays a local vigilante in the film) is seen prominently in the poster. His face is seen hand painted with broad brush strokes, giving him a very macho and rugged appearance. He is seen holding a gun, wearing his trademark dark coloured glasses and a t-shirt with the number 10 written on it. Actress Hema Malini is seen in a dancing pose in a smaller hand painted avatar at the bottom of this original Bollywood movie poster.

The entire typography used in this vintage Bollywood poster is in English. The title of the film is seen hand painted in striking yellow. A signature of poster artist Diwakar Karkare is printed on the bottom left of this old Bollywood poster. The entire poster is set against a minimal white background with a pin stripe border, giving it an extremely eye catching appeal.

Dus Numbri’s soundtrack album was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and lyrics were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Songs from the film such as “Yeh Duniya Ek Numbri” sung by Mukesh are fondly remembered till date.

The film was later remade in Telugu as “KD No. 1” (1978) starring N.T. Rama Rao and Jayasudha.