Mela

Dilip Kumar poster for sale.

This is an actual surviving original Bollywood poster of the 1948 romantic tragedy that starred the “Tragedy King of Bollywood,” superstar Dilip Kumar in the lead role. Produced by Wadia Movietone, the film also starred Nargis, Jeevan, Rehman and Nur Jehan. Mela was produced and directed by S. U. Sunny. The film was a Wadia Movietone presentation and J. B. H. Wadia’s wife Hila Wadia co-produced the film.

Printed and circulated during the actual screening of the film in theaters (somewhere in the 1950s), this vintage Dilip Kumar poster was printed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

Originally created on canvas by an art studio in Mumbai, this hand painted Bollywood poster features stunning portraits of superstar Dilip Kumar and actress Nargis. The two are seen in large close up portraits painted prominently in the poster. Actor Jeevan who essays a villainous role in the film, is seen hand painted in a greenish tone to reflect his negative character in a smaller portrait in the background. A simple gradient of colours with visible brushstrokes is seen in the background of this Dilip Kumar poster.

The combination of yellow and green used in this hand painted Bollywood poster gives it a very soothing appearance. The title of the film is seen in both Hindi as well as in English at the bottom.

The film’s music was composed by Naushad, while lyrics of the songs were written by Shakeel Badayuni. The soundtrack album played a pivotal role in Mela’s commercial success at the box office; so much so that Mela was touted as “Naushad’s Golden Jubilee (fifty weeks) Mela.”

Songs such as “Dharti Ko Aakash Pukaare” and “Taqdeer Bani Banke Bigdi” sung by Shamshad Begum became extremely popular at the time of the film’s release. “Ye Zindagi Ke Mele Duniya Mein Kam Na Honge; Afsos Hum Na Honge,” the only song in the film sung by Mohammed Rafi, catapulted him to success. “Gaye Ja Geet Milan Ke” sung by Mukesh was another popular song that is fondly remembered till today.

In 1956, a Telugu remake of Mela was made called Chiranjeevulu.