Khoj

Illustrated film posters for sale: Khoj (1953).

Featured here is an actual surviving original vintage Bollywood poster of the 1953 black and white Hindi drama directed by Balwant Bhatt that starred Shammi and Mahipal in lead roles.

Produced under the Durga Films banner, Khoj (1953) also starred Lalita Kumari, Satish and Kesri in supporting roles.

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

Originally designed in hand painted oil on canvas format by a movie poster design studio in Delhi, this illustrated film poster features a striking two-tone design.

Actress Shammi is seen in a stunning illustration on the top, her mischievous smile captured with a high degree of accuracy. Actor Mahipal is seen alongside in a vintage styled illustration smoking a cigarette. He is depicted with middle parted hair, wearing a suit.

A combination of strong colors (red and blue) dominates this old Bollywood poster, giving it an extremely catchy appearance. The artwork is set against a red and white background, making it stand out. Typography used in this vintage illustrated film poster is primarily in English, with a translation of the title appearing in Devanagari Hindi as well as Urdu.

The soundtrack album of Khoj (1953) was composed by Nisar Bazmi, while lyrics were written by Hasrat Jaipuri. The album is fondly remembered for gems such as, “Chanda Ka Dil Toot Gaya” sung by Mohammed Rafi, “Yeh Hawa Yeh Ghata Yeh Sama” sung by Shamshad Begum and “Aaye The Thodi Der Ko” sung by Ashima Banerjee.