''Jewel Thief'' is a 1967 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language
spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
thriller heist film
The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery.
One of the early defining heist films was ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almo ...
directed by
Vijay Anand.
The film stars
Ashok Kumar
Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
He ...
,
Dev Anand
Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...
,
Vyjayantimala
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...
and features four
bond girl
A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...
-like actresses portrayed by
Tanuja
Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and was ...
,
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
,
Faryal
Faryal was born on 3 November 1945 in Syria. She is an actress and dancer of mixed Indian and Arabic descent working in Hindi films. She was a popular Bollywood cabaret dancer and actress in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life and background
Far ...
and
Anju Mahendru
Anju Mahendru is an Indian actress. She is best known as Reeva in ''Kahiin to Hoga'', Kamini Gupta in '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay'' and Beeji in ''Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai''.
Personal life
Mahendru was briefly engaged to cricket player Gar ...
, with
Nazir Hussain
Nazir Hussain (15 May 1922 – 16 October 1987) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter. He was famous as a character actor in Hindi cinema and acted in almost 500 films. Dev Anand starred in a large proportion of the films he acted in ...
and
Sapru
Sapru is a clan of Kashmiri Pandits. The majority of them are now living in diaspora outside the Kashmir Valley. Most Saprus are Hindus while some are Muslims.
Notable people
*Tej Bahadur Sapru, lawyer, political and social leader
*Muhammad Iqba ...
appearing in supporting roles. It was produced by Dev Anand's production house,
Navketan Films
Navketan Films was a film production house based in Mumbai, India. Started in 1949 by actor-director and producer Dev Anand and his elder brother Chetan Anand, whose debut film, ''Neecha Nagar'', received the Palme d'Or (Best Film) award, at the ...
. The film revolves around a jewellery expert (Anand), as he and
the police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
attempt to capture a notorious jewel thief, but in the process, their true identities get thoroughly muddled.
The film became a box office hit. J M Barot received the
Filmfare Best Sound Award
The Filmfare Best Sound is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Here is a list of some of the award winners and the films for which they won.
List
See also
* Filmfare Awards
* Bollywood
...
, while
Tanuja
Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and was ...
received a nomination for
Best Supporting Actress.
Plot
A mysterious jewel thief has been looting valuable gems throughout the country. As the daring crimes grab headlines, the
Police Commissioner of
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
mentions that the thief is currently operating in his jurisdiction. He vows to resign if he fails to catch the criminal by
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
*1531 – The 6.4–7.1 1531 Lisbon earthquake, Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
*1564 – ...
.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner's son Vinay is hired by prominent jeweller Vishambhar Nath, who values his skill with jewels highly. In the course of his work, Vinay grows close to Vishambhar's daughter Anjali. At a party hosted by Anjali, Vishambhar's childhood friend Arjun and Arjun's sister, Shalini, mistake Vinay to be Shalini's
fiancé
An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
, Amar. Both of them soon realise the mistake, but Arjun notes Vinay's uncanny similarity to Amar. Nevertheless, Shalini and Vinay strike a friendship, that develops into romance. Shalini's engagement ring is identified as a previously stolen piece of jewellery, and the Commissioner suspects that Amar might actually be the elusive jewel thief.
At Vishambhar's shop, all the jewellery in a concealed storeroom gets stolen. He believes that the man he had left in-charge was Vinay, although the real Vinay was with Anjali. The police believe the impersonator was Amar. A small-time thief gets caught at the shop, and divulges information about Amar's associate, Helen. Vinay agrees to help the police by impersonating Amar, and goes to meet Helen. He tricks her and learns that the real Amar is going to
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
. There, Vinay meets other members of Amar's gang, including Julie, Amar's wife. The gang fly to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
and pull off another jewellery heist. Arjun and Vinay learn from Julie, who has realised that Vinay is only masquerading as her husband, that Amar has left for
Gangtok
Gangtok is a city, municipality, the capital and the largest populated place of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the headquarters of the East Sikkim district, Gangtok District. Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an e ...
,
Kingdom of Sikkim
The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and sip, འབྲས་ལྗོངས།, ''Drenjong''), officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and sip, འབྲས་མོ་གཤོངས།) until the 1800s, was a hereditary monar ...
.
Vinay visits Gangtok, and meets another Amar associate, Neena. He promises to help her escape the gang in return for information. Neena, however, gets Vinay captured by luring him into the gang's
safehouse
A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor.
Histori ...
. The gang's real leader is revealed to be Arjun, who is the jewel thief. No person named Amar ever existed; the identity was created to baffle the police and deflect any attention away from Arjun. Vishambhar Nath was part of this carefully planned scheme, too, while Shalini had assisted the gang to secure the release of her kidnapped brother, Shishu. When she approaches Arjun for Shishu's release, she gets locked up with him in the safehouse. Having discovered secret passages under the building, Shalini rescues Vinay and explains the situation to him. The three try to flee, but are recaptured. Vinay is administered electric shocks to wipe out his memory. The gang then make Vinay believe that 'jewel thief Amar' is his real identity. Their plan is to stage a fake heist of the Sikkimese crown jewels, and let 'Amar' take the blame. The police will be manipulated into shooting 'Amar' dead, forever lifting suspicion from the actual criminals. Since Shalini is a well-known dancer in the royal court, she is to facilitate the gang's entry disguised as a
dance troupe
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different list of dance ...
. 'Amar' dies according to plan, and the gang celebrates. Vinay, however, had merely been acting; he had secretly warned the police about the gang's plan beforehand. Anjali, who has discovered her father's criminal involvement, has got in touch with the police too. The police surround the safehouse and Vinay corners Arjun, but he manages to escape. Vinay follows Arjun to his plane, but the latter threatens to shoot him. Anjali, though, has already removed the bullets in the gun, and the Commissioner appears to announce that the entire gang has been arrested, before January 26 as promised. Anjali takes Vinay to the cabin where Shalini is waiting for him with Shishu, as the plane gets airborne.
Cast
*
Ashok Kumar
Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
He ...
as Arjun Singh/Jewel Thief
*
Dev Anand
Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...
as Vinay/ Prince Amar
*
Vyjayantimala
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...
as Shalini "Shalu" Singh
*
Tanuja
Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and was ...
as Anjali Nath
*
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
as Helen
*
Faryal
Faryal was born on 3 November 1945 in Syria. She is an actress and dancer of mixed Indian and Arabic descent working in Hindi films. She was a popular Bollywood cabaret dancer and actress in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life and background
Far ...
as Julie
*
Anju Mahendru
Anju Mahendru is an Indian actress. She is best known as Reeva in ''Kahiin to Hoga'', Kamini Gupta in '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay'' and Beeji in ''Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai''.
Personal life
Mahendru was briefly engaged to cricket player Gar ...
as Neena
*
Nazir Hussain
Nazir Hussain (15 May 1922 – 16 October 1987) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter. He was famous as a character actor in Hindi cinema and acted in almost 500 films. Dev Anand starred in a large proportion of the films he acted in ...
as Police Commissioner
*
Pratima Devi as Police Commissnor Wife , Vinay's Mother
*
Sapru
Sapru is a clan of Kashmiri Pandits. The majority of them are now living in diaspora outside the Kashmir Valley. Most Saprus are Hindus while some are Muslims.
Notable people
*Tej Bahadur Sapru, lawyer, political and social leader
*Muhammad Iqba ...
as Seth Vishambhar Nath
*
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
*
Sachin as Shishu Singh
Production
Casting
For the lead female role,
Saira Banu
Saira Banu (born 23 August 1944) is a former Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi language films. She was one of the most popular actresses in her heyday in the Indian film industry in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Career
Saira Banu was the ...
was approached by Dev Anand. Banu, who had earlier worked with Anand in ''Pyar Mohabbat'' (1966) declined the role due to her marriage to actor
Dilip Kumar
Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...
. Banu had also turned down the role of Rosie in the 1965 film ''
Guide
A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom.
Travel and recreation
Expl ...
'', which was produced by Anand. Soon, actress
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen with ...
was signed for the role; she had worked with Anand before in ''
Amar Deep'' a decade earlier. Vyjayanthimala was also considered by Anand for the lead role in ''Guide'', but was rejected by
Tad Danielewski
Tad Danielewski (March 29, 1921 – January 6, 1993) was a Polish-born American film director.
Early years
Born as Tadeusz Zbigniew Danielewski in Radom, Poland, he served in the Polish Underground during World War II but was captured and inter ...
, the director of ''Guide''s English version.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was composed by
S. D. Burman
Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. He later began composing for Hindi movies and became one o ...
, who earlier made a string of memorable film under Navketan Films. The lyrics for this film were by
Hindustani songwriter
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Asrar ul Hassan Khan (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000), better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in India's Hindi language film industry. He wrote Hindustani lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks.
He was ...
, except for "Rula Kay Gaya Sapna" by
Shailendra. At that time, Shailendra wasn't keeping well, so Sultanpuri was approached for the movie.
The male playback was done by
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music.
He ...
and
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...
, who lent their voices for
Dev Anand
Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...
. The female singers were
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...
, who lent her voice for
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen with ...
and
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur
and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the ...
for
Tanuja
Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and was ...
and
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
.
The song, "Dil Pukare Aa Re, Aa Re, Aa Re" was notable for being the first duet which Mangeshkar and Rafi recorded together, following their disagreement over royalties in the 1960s.
Reception
Box office
''Jewel Thief'' was a profitable venture for the distributors. Over its theatrical run, ''Boxofficeindia.com'' reported that the film had managed to gross 3,50,00,000 with a net of and, adjusted to inflation is about .
Subsequently, ''Jewel Thief'' was declared a hit at the box office. It ended up as the sixth highest-grossing film of 1967 and
thirty-fifth highest-grossing film of the decade.
Premieres
Following the success of ''Jewel Thief'', the film was screened in many film festivals. In August 2008, the film was screened along with three other films of Dev Anand at the Government Museum Auditorium for the Chandigarh Film Festival. The film was also screened by the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of
Navketan Films
Navketan Films was a film production house based in Mumbai, India. Started in 1949 by actor-director and producer Dev Anand and his elder brother Chetan Anand, whose debut film, ''Neecha Nagar'', received the Palme d'Or (Best Film) award, at the ...
. On 1 August 2009, ''Jewel Thief'' was premiered at
Regal Cinema
The Regal Cinema is an Art deco movie theatre located at Colaba Causeway, in Mumbai, India. Built by Framji Sidhwa, the first film to be aired at the Regal was the Laurel and Hardy work ''The Devil's Brother'' in 1933.
According to the ''Li ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
.
The premier was attended by
Dev Anand
Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...
,
Jackie Shroff
Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and , has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hi ...
,
Sudhir Mishra
Sudhir Mishra (born 22 January 1959) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for directing the films ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'', ''Dharavi (film), Dharavi'' and ''Chameli (film), Chameli''.
Mishra has had a 30-year career, with his ...
,
Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao (born 7 June 1981), is an Indian actress who is known primarily for her work in Hindi films. Rao made her acting debut in ''Ab Ke Baras'' (2002), which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in 2003. She su ...
,
Deepak Parekh
Deepak Parekh (born 18 October 1944) is an Indian businessman and the Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation, India's leading housing private development finance institution. It is based in Mumbai.
Education
Parekh completed his ...
, Vijay Kalantri and Pooja Misrra.
Sequel
A sequel titled ''Return of Jewel Thief'' was released in 1996, with only two actors reappearing and reprising their original roles;
Dev Anand
Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...
, reprising the role of Vinay Kumar and
Ashok Kumar
Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
He ...
, reprising the role of Arjun. It was one of the movies in which Dev Anand acted outside his own banner, Navketan. The movie also had an ensemble cast, consisting of actors
Dharmendra
Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 301 ...
,
Jackie Shroff
Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and , has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hi ...
,
Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an Indian actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in 380 films over a span of over 60 years. He has a soft-spoken diction despite being a villain in most films. His 19 films, with him as antagonist ...
,
Sadashiv Amrapurkar
Sadashiv Dattaray Amrapurkar (11 May 1950 – 3 November 2014) was an Indian actor, best known for his performances in Marathi language, Marathi and Hindi films from 1983 to 1999. He acted in more than 300 movies in Hindi, Marathi, and other r ...
,
Shilpa Shirodkar
Shilpa Shirodkar (born 20 November 1969) is an Indian actress and former photo model who worked primarily in Hindi-language films from 1989 to 2000. After a 13-year hiatus from acting, she made her comeback to acting, this time on television in ...
,
Madhoo
Madhoo Shah (Madhubala) (born Padma Malini; 26 March 1969) is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language films. She was a part of Movies like ''Phool Aur Kaante'' (1991), ''Roja' ...
and
Anu Agarwal
Anu Aggarwal (born 11 January 1969) is a former Indian model and actress. She is best known for her works in ''Aashiqui'', ''The Cloud Door'' and ''Thiruda Thiruda''.
Early life and background
Anu Aggarwal was born on 11 January 1969 in New Del ...
.
[
]
References
External links
*
{{Vijay Anand
1967 films
1960s spy films
1960s heist films
Indian spy thriller films
1960s Hindi-language films
Films scored by S. D. Burman
Films directed by Vijay Anand
Indian heist films
Films shot in Sikkim
Gemstones in fiction