Warrant poster for sale.
Featured here is a rare surviving vintage Bollywood poster of the old 1975 hit action Hindi film directed by Pramod Chakravorty that starred Dev Anand in the lead role opposite Zeenat Aman.
Produced by N.P. Singh and released under his NP International banner, Warrant (1975) also starred Pran, Dara Singh, Ajit, Satish Kaul, Madan Puri, Sulochana Latkar, Jagdish Raj, Parveen Kaul, Viju Khote, Arpana Choudhary, Kuljeet and Janki Das in supporting roles, while Lalita Pawar, Joginder and Sujit Kumar made special appearances in the film.
Warrant (1975) was dedicated to officers and men of the Indian police force in it’s opening credits. It told the story of a father son duo who are both officers of the law. Arun (Dev Anand) is a brave and honest jailor, while his father Mehra (Pran) is the strict and morally upright Inspector General of Police (IG). One night a riot breaks out at Arun’s prison and the prisoners stage a daring escape. Arun puts his life on the line to stop the prisoners from escaping. He refuses to let the prisoners pass through the jail gate. A death row inmate tries to shoot Arun during the confrontation but he is stopped in the nick of time by convict Dinesh (Satish Kaul), who is injured in the process. Arun is indebted to Dinesh and finds it hard to believe that a murderer saved his life when he could have easily escaped with the rest of the inmates. Dinesh is on death row, about to be hanged on Arun’s birthday. He has been convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence for the murder of his employer Professor Verma (Madan Puri), who was one of the most acclaimed scientists of the country. Arun starts to believe in Dinesh’s story that he has been falsely implicated in the murder. With only a few days left for Dinesh’s execution, Arun requests his father IG Mehra to reopen Dinesh’s file so that he can prove his innocence. However, IG Mehra refuses as he thinks Dinesh is lying about his innocence just like hundreds of convicts he has encountered in his life. With no choice left legally, Arun helps Dinesh break out of prison and the two set out to find Professor Verma’s real killer. IG Mehra is furious and orders the police force to launch a massive manhunt, declaring both the jailor and murder convict as fugitives wanted dead or alive. In the meantime, the professor’s real killer, crime boss Master (Ajit Khan) orders a hit on the two, tasking a female assassin Rita (Zeenat Aman) for the job. Will Arun be able to find the man responsible for framing Dinesh before it is too late?
Printed and circulated during a subsequent theatrical release run of the film (somewhere in the late 1970s), this Dev Anand movie poster was designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.
Originally hand painted on canvas by Bombay-based Bollywood poster artist Vishnu, this vintage Warrant poster poster features striking hand drawn artwork.
One of the most influential actors in Indian cinema, Dev Anand is illustrated in a bust sized close up at the bottom. He is seen pointing a gun. Actor Pran is seen wearing a police uniform and holding a gun on the right, while actress Zeenat Aman appears on the left, also holding a pistol.
Typography used in this old Bollywood poster is entirely in Devanagari Hindi. The title is seen in an orange red shade, accentuated with a yellow and green border. A pair of handcuffs is seen dangling from the center. The artwork in the foreground stands out in contrast against a minimal pleasing background, giving this Warrant poster a catchy appearance. Light strokes of color are seen behind the three actors.
The soundtrack album of Warrant (1975) was composed by one of the greatest music composers of all time in Indian cinema, R.D. Burman, while lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi. It featured the unforgettable classic, “Ruk Jana O Jaana Humse Do Baatein Karke Chali Jaana” sung by Kishore Kumar.
