Tohfa

Tohfa poster for sale.

Featured here is an actual surviving old Bollywood poster of the blockbuster 1984 Hindi musical drama directed by K. Raghavendra Rao that starred Jeetendra, Jaya Prada and Sridevi in lead roles.

Produced by D. Ramanaidu and released under the banner of Suresh Productions, Tohfa (1984) also starred Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Jagdeep, Leela Mishra and Mohan Choti in supporting roles.

Written by Kader Khan, Tohfa (1984) told the touching story of two sisters (Janki played by Jaya Prada and Lalita played by Sridevi), who both fall in love with the same friend Ram (Jeetendra). Sisterly bond takes over and Lalita sacrifices her love, allowing the two to get married.

Shakti Kapoor played a memorable comic role in Tohfa (1984). One of his trademark dialogues in the film, “Aaoo Lalita” became a cult hit and is used till today in various memes on the Internet.

Tohfa (1984) was a remake of the Telugu blockbuster Devatha (1982), which was also directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and starred Jaya Prada and Sridevi. A massive success at the box office, Tohfa (1984) was the highest grossing Indian film of 1984, making this Bollywood poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during a subsequent release of the film (somewhere in the 1980s), this vintage Bollywood poster was designed for publicity of the film in north Indian theaters but never ended up being used.

This old Tohfa poster was originally designed using a combination of both hand painted oil on canvas techniques as well as photographic collage by an art studio in Delhi and features stunning artwork.

Jeetendra is seen in a strikingly accurate hand painted illustration at the center holding a pistol. Still photographs of the two actresses are seen flanking his sides – Jaya Prada on the left and Sridevi on the right. The arrangement gives away the love triangle plot of the film.

Actress Sridevi is seen in a smaller photographic still below holding a coconut grater in her hands as a weapon. Two fight scenes in over painted still photos are seen in a smaller size on the center left and right respectively.

Supporting actors Shakti Kapoor and Kader Khan are seen in smaller portraits at the bottom left and right respectively. The background used in this vintage Tohfa poster is a mix of yellow, orange, red and blue.

Typography in this original Sridevi poster is primarily in Devanagari Hindi, with a translation of the title appearing in English as well. The film’s large Devanagari Hindi title appears in a yellow and cyan 3D typeface with a black border, standing out against the background.

The soundtrack album of Tohfa (1984) was composed by music maestro Bappi Lahiri, while lyrics were written by Indeevar. It featured the super hit song, “Pyar Ka Tohfa Tera Bana Hai Jeevan Mera” sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, which is fondly played till date.