Rocky

Old Bollywood poster for sale of the hit Hindi film Rocky (1981).

This is an actual surviving publicity poster of the 1981 film that marked the Bollywood debut of Sunil Dutt’s son, Sanjay Dutt.

Rocky was produced and directed by actor Sunil Dutt, who also played a cameo role in the film. Tina Munim Ambani played Sanjay Dutt’s love interest in Rocky, while Reena Roy, Amjad Khan, Raakhee and Shakti Kapoor played supporting characters.

Printed and circulated subsequent to the first release of the film (somewhere in the late 1980s), this old Hindi movie poster was originally designed for publicity of the film for a local release run in Delhi but never ended up being used.

This quirky hand drawn Bollywood poster features a large artistic rendition of actor Sanjay Dutt (who plays the pivotal role of Rocky in the film) on the top. The poster is set against a starry blue background. Tina Munim Ambani is seen lying down on a motorbike below. Smaller images of supporting actors Reena Roy, Amjad Khan and Raakhee are also seen on this Rocky Bollywood poster.

Delhi Bollywood poster painter Ranjeet’s signature is seen on the right hand corner of this Rocky Sanjay Dutt poster. The quirky manner in which the faces of the stars have been painted is typical of hand drawn Bollywood posters in Delhi.

Rocky was released only four days after the death of Sunil Dutt’s wife and Sanjay Dutt’s mother, Nargis. A seat was left vacant at the premiere of the film as a befitting tribute to her. The soundtrack of the film was composed by R D Burman and became a rage throughout the nation at the time of its release. Songs like “Doston Ko Salam,” “Aa Dekhen Zara” and “Kya Yehi Pyar Hai” are fondly remembered and played till today.