Dus Numbri

Dus Numbri poster for sale.

Featured here is an actual surviving 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 initial release run of the film in theaters (somewhere in the late 1970s), this Dus Numbri 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 vintage Bollywood 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 Dus Numbri poster features stunning hand drawn 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 striking hand painted portrait of actress Hema Malini is seen in the foreground. She is depicted in a dancing pose, holding a dafli (tambourine) above her head. A large close up illustration of actor Manoj Kumar is seen in the background. He appears holding knives in both hands. Master Bollywood poster artist Diwakar has used a palette knife to give broad brush strokes to the portrait, giving Manoj Kumar’s face a rugged and macho effect, true to the actor’s character in the film. A fiery background is seen in the distance behind the two portraits.

Typography used in this Dus Numbri poster is entirely in Devanagari Hindi. The title of the film is seen hand painted in yellow, accentuated with a black border. Master poster artist Diwakar Karkare’s printed signature in the name of his art studio is seen on the bottom right of this vintage Bollywood poster.

The soundtrack album of Dus Numbri (1976) was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, while 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.