Sagina Mahato

Sagina Mahato poster for sale.

Featured here is an actual surviving old Bengali movie poster of the 1970 film directed by noted parallel filmmaker Tapan Sinha that starred Dilip Kumar in the titular role as “Sagina Mahato.”

Produced by J.K. Kapur under the Rupashree International banner and distributed by Mohan Pictures, Sagina Mahato (1970) also starred Saira Banu, Anil Chatterjee, Swarup Dutta, Sumita Sanyal and Ajitesh Bandopadhyay in supporting roles.

The film was based on a Bengali short story by the same name written by noted writer Gour Kishore Ghosh in 1969. The “Emperor of Acting” and pioneer of method acting in Indian cinema, Dilip Kumar played the role of Sagina Mahato, a young trade union leader who courageously stands up against the high handedness of his factory’s British owners, only to be identified as a traitor by his own and tried in a communist people’s court setup in a forest.

The plot of Sagina Mahato (1970) is summarized in the opening credits as follows: “A chapter in the history of India 1942-43. On the one hand, the struggle against Fascist lust. On the other, British Imperialism breathing it’s last. In this cataclysm a new India was being born. On a certain night around the foothills of the Himalayas …”

Considered as the greatest method actor in Indian cinema and often labeled as “tragedy king,” Dilip Kumar bagged Best Actor at the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards in 1971 for his stellar performance in the film.

Printed and circulated during the first release run of the film in theaters (somewhere in 1970), this Sagina Mahato movie poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

Originally hand drawn on canvas by a movie poster design studio, this old Bengali movie poster features striking artwork. A large close up illustration of legendary actor Dilip Kumar is seen illustrated prominently at the bottom of this Sagina Mahato poster. The illustration appears in black and white, with a part of his face in silhouette. The depth in his eye captures the sadness and pain experienced by his character perfectly. A red sun is seen above him, which stands out in stark contrast against the black background.

Typography used in this old Bangla movie poster is entirely in Bengali. The title has been illustrated in white, while the rest of the credits appear in red, orange and white.

The soundtrack album of Sagina Mahato (1970) was composed by playback singer Anup Ghoshal.