Paheli

Paheli film poster for sale.

Featured here is a rare surviving original Bollywood poster of the old 2005 Hindi film directed by Amol Palekar that starred the “Baadshah of Bollywood,” Shah Rukh Khan in a double role opposite actress Rani Mukerji.

A fantasy drama jointly produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla under the Red Chillies banner, Paheli (2005) also starred Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Suniel Shetty, Rajpal Yadav, Aditi Govitrikar and A. K. Hangal in supporting roles. Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah lent their voice to puppets in the film.

Paheli (2005) was based on a folklore short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani called Duvidha, which was first adapted into a film by the same name in 1973. Set in a village in Rajasthan, the film tells the story of a husband who leaves his newly married wife to go on a merchant trip, only to have a ghost disguised as him take his place. Superstar SRK essayed the double role of husband and the ghost who impersonates him in this intriguing film.

Although only moderately successful at the box office, Paheli (2005) was critically well received and became India’s official entry to the 79th Academy Awards, making this Shahrukh Khan poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during the film’s first release in theaters (somewhere in 2005), this Paheli film poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

A striking photograph of superstar Shah Rukh Khan is seen prominently in this old Bollywood poster. He appears dressed in traditional Rajasthani clothing, wearing a large turban on his head. Standing with his hands crossed, his eyes seem to be searching.

Actress Rani Mukerji is seen in traditional bridal Rajasthani attire with a dupatta covering her head at the top of this Paheli film poster. The photograph captures her beautiful eyes with stunning clarity.

The bottom depicts camels racing in the desert sand, with people cheering on from the sidelines. The rising clouds of sand dust seem to blend perfectly well with the artwork on the top. Typography used in this original SRK poster is completely in English.

The soundtrack album of Paheli (2005) was composed by M.M. Kreem, while lyrics were written by Gulzar. The song “Dheere Jalna” sung by Sonu Nigam & Shreya Ghoshal became extremely popular during the film’s release. It bagged Shreya Ghoshal Best Female Playback Singer at the 53rd National Film Awards.