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Jewel Thief

1967 186’ col Hindi d/sc Vijay Anand pc Navketan Films st K.A. Narayan lyr Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shailendra c V. Ratra m S.D. Burman lp Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Tanuja, Helen, Fariyal, Anju Mahendru, Nasir Hussain, Sapru, Pratima Devi

Hero Vinay (Anand), son of the police commissioner (Hussain), finds himself repeatedly mistaken for notorious jewel thief Amar. He is accused by Shalini (Vyjayanthimala) of being the man who had promised to marry her, and the accusation is substantiated by her brother (Ashok Kumar). Vinay masquerades as Amar to try to crack the gang, even as it appears that Amar too masquerades as Vinay, leaving the audience guessing for most of the film on the identity of the hero. Eventually Amar turns out to be a piece of fiction, created by the real thief, Shalini’s brother, who turns out not to be her brother at all. This cult movie, using concealed bars, moving walls and hidden safes, snowlifts and aeroplanes, determined the look and the fashions of much of late 60s Hindi cinema. Vijay Anand’s direction, demonstrating a greater control over colour than e.g. Guide (1965), goes well with the taut editing despite a meandering plot. Song hits include Yeh dil na hota bechara (sung by Kishore Kumar), Rulake gaya sapna mera and Hoton pe aisi baat main dabake chali aayi (both by Lata Mangeshkar).

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