| Film | Ekti Raat (Sometimes also spelled as “Ekti Rat.” English Translation: One Night) |
| Release | 1956 |
| Cast | Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Sabita Bose, Tulsi Chakraborty, Bhanu Banerjee & Anup Kumar |
| Print Date | Late 1950s |
| Size | Approximately 29.75″ x 20″ inches or 75.75 x 51 cms (Half sheet size) |
| Condition | ★★★ Average |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Folds | Two |
| Artwork | Hand painted / Hand drawn |
| Printer | Imperial Art Cottage Calcutta |
| Material | Paper |
| Frame | Not included |
| Packing | Rolled into unbreakable tube |
Ekti Raat
$46.38
Ekti Raat poster for sale.
Featured here is an actual surviving original vintage Bengali cinema poster of the 1956 Bangla comedy directed by Chitta Basu that starred the most popular and successful film star of Bengal, Uttam Kumar in the lead role opposite his most frequently paired co-star, Suchitra Sen.
Produced by Harendranath Chattopadhyay, Ekti Raat (1956) also starred Tulsi Chakraborty, Bhanu Banerjee, Sabita Bose and Anup Kumar in supporting roles.
The film was based on a novel called Bhimpalashree written by Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. It told the story of a married couple, Shusovan (Uttam Kumar) and Anita (Sabita Bose) who embark on a journey. At the train station, Anita boards the train but Shusovan is left behind. Now separated from his wife, Shusovan meets a beautiful married woman called Santana De (Suchitra Sen) who has also missed the train and the two decide to journey together. In order to rest at a hotel, the two are left with no choice but to pretend to be a married couple. In the meantime, Anita, now alone on the train begins to suspect that her husband has deliberately left her behind in order to elope with someone else. A comedy of errors follow.
Printed and circulated during the initial release run of the film in Kolkata theaters (somewhere in the late 1950s), this old Bengali cinema poster was designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.
This Ekti Raat poster was originally designed in hand drawn format by a poster design studio in Kolkata and features striking artwork.
The foreground is hand drawn in black and white, while a single shade of blue is used in the background to add contrast. Superstar Uttam Kumar and actress Suchitra Sen are captured in brilliantly composed hand drawn portraits in this old Bengali movie poster. Uttam Kumar is seen with a finger over his lips, suggesting a secret is to be kept. He appears bent over Suchitra Sen, who is fast asleep with a long sheer scarf covering her face. Her stunning beauty is captured perfectly in this illustration.
Typography used in this old Uttam Kumar poster is entirely in Bengali, with the title appearing in a very creatively designed stylized font in white with a sharp black border. The title is illustrated inside a blue box. A full moon night sky is seen hand drawn in the background on the top of the poster, giving away the setting of the film.
The soundtrack album of Ekti Raat (1956) was composed by Anupam Ghatak.
