Movie poster Bengali for sale: Natun Jiban (1966).
Featured here is an actual surviving original Bengali cinema poster of the 1966 black and white Bangla drama directed by Arabinda Mukhopadhyay that starred Anup Kumar, Sandhya Roy, Anil Chatterjee and Pahari Sanyal in key roles.
Produced by Radharani Pictures, Natun Jiban (1966) also starred Jahar Roy, Gangapada Bose, Dipika Das, Prabir Kumar, Haridhan Mukhopadhyay, Shobha Sen and Bani Gangopadhyay in supporting roles.
Written by Gajendra Kumar Mitra, Natun Jiban (1966) told the story of two contrasting relationships: One being among equals of society and the other among unequals. Bijoy Mukherjee (Anup Kumar) is a man of integrity and honesty, who hails from a poor background. After his father passes away, he seeks help from his father’s friend Mr. Banerjee (Pahari Sanyal), who is a wealthy businessman. Mr. Banerjee takes Bijoy into his own home, where he begins to live together with Mr. Banerjee’s son Nirmal (Anil Chatterjee) and daughter Aruna (Sandhya Roy). Aruna is soon infatuated with Bijoy’s simplicity, integrity and intellect. The two fall in love. When Mr. Banerjee gets wind of their feelings for each other, he is enraged. A man of status and high society, Mr. Banerjee desires to see his daughter Aruna married to a family of equal standing. A heartbroken Bijoy leaves the home and ventures out on his own. However, Aruna follows shortly after and convinces Bijoy to come home and ask for her hand in marriage. When Bijoy seeks Mr. Banerjee’s consent, he is humiliated again. Unable to convince her father, Aruna leaves her home and family behind and marries Bijoy. The two live an austere but happy life. In stark contrast, Nirmal is leading a life of excess, drinking and gambling away every night. He gets married to a girl of high society and status called Mili (Sumita Sanyal), inline with his father’s wish. The two have an unhappy marriage, regularly fighting with each other. Soon life goes downhill for Nirmal. Divorced from his wife and bankrupt, Nirmal is forced to sell his house. Bijoy and Aruna take him into their own home and he begins to renew his mind. Understanding the truth that money alone cannot buy happiness, Nirmal finds a job and begins to work hard. He falls in love with a poor woman next door and starts a new life with her.
Printed and circulated during a subsequent release of the film in Kolkata theaters (somewhere in the 1970s), this Natun Jiban poster was designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.
This old Bengali cinema poster was originally designed in mixed media format using a combination of both hand painted oil on canvas as well as photographic collage techniques by a poster design studio in Kolkata and features striking artwork.
Actress Sandhya Roy is seen in a stunning close up photo in color on the top. Black and white still photos showing the actress with Anup Kumar on the left and Anil Chatterjee on the right are seen below. A small close up of actress Sumita Sanyal is seen on the bottom left of this Natun Jiban movie poster.
Typography used in this old movie poster is entirely in Bengali, with the title appearing in a very creatively styled font in red with a thick black border. Set against a white background, it stands out in stark contrast. Shades of dark and light blue are seen in the background of the top half of this old Bengali cinema poster.
The soundtrack album of Natun Jiban (1966) was composed by Rajen Sarkar.
