Ashok Kumar isn’t ready to play the villain in one of the greatest suspense films of all time, starting the song trend before climaxing, which is…
Starring Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala and Ashok Kumar, Jewel Thief is regarded as one of Bollywood’s best suspense thrillers. The director of Vijay Anand became a sensational issue after its release in 1967.
Over the years, from Bobby Deol, Kajol and Manisha Koirala-starrer Gupt to Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji-starrer Talaash, Bollywood has seen multiple suspense thrillers over the years. However, one of the films that started was the 1967 film Jewelry Thief, which is often considered one of the best suspense thrillers in Indian films.
Jewel Thief is headlined by Dev Anand, produced by him and his brother Chetan Anand under their Banner Navketan movie and directed by third brother Vijay Anand. The film also hosts the main characters Ashok Kumar and Vyjayanthimala. Tanuja, Helen, Faryal, Anju Mahendru, Nazir Hussain and Jagdish Raj bypass the main cast.
Dev Anand is Vijay, the son of the police chief, who suspects to be a jewelry thief, but the real jewelry thief is Ashok Kumar’s article Arjun Singh. He plays the mastermind villain with a jewelry thief and surprises the audience. However, the legendary actor didn’t convince the villain in the movie.
It was Vijay Anand by telling him: “I want you to play the title role. It’s a very challenging role. The only problem is that we learned in the last reel that your character is the bad guy in the movie. But you’ve played anti-heroes before. You can do it. Actually, you can do it. Hearing Vijay’s confidence, Dadamoni agreed to make the movie.
Jewel Thief also attributes the trend of putting songs before climax in the movie script. The song released before the climax of the 1967 film was Hothon Mein Aisi Baat Main Dabaake Chali Aayi, which was filmed in the Kingdom of Independence before becoming part of India in 1975.
The soundtrack of the film, created by SD Burman, is also considered the best album in Hindi films. In addition to Hothom Mein Aisi Baat, other memorable tracks are Yeh Dil na Hota Bechara, Dil Pukare aa re aa re, Rulaake Gaya Sapna Mera, Raat Akeli Akeli Akeli akeli akeli hai hai bujh gaye diye and Aasman aasman kee ke neeche hum hum hum aaj apne peechhe.
The director of Vijay Anand achieved great success after his release, as it earned about Rs 350 crore in the box office in 1967. The sequel titled “The Return of Jewelry Thief” was released in 1996, with Dev Anand and Ashok Kumar reprising their roles. The film also features Jackie Shroff, Dharmendra, Shilpa Shirodkar, Anu Aggarwal and Prem Chopra.
