Not on display

Zanjeer (1973)

Film Booklet
1973 (made)
Artist/Maker
Laxman (designer)
Place of origin
Bombay (made)

Zanjeer was the first film in which Amitabh Bachchan, one of India's most important actors, played his now famous role as the 'angry young man'. The cover of this film booklet conveys the theme of anger, violence and evil and sets the tone for many of the films of the 1970s.

Object details

Category
Entertainment & Leisure
Object type
Film booklet
Titles
  • Zanjeer (1973)
  • The Chain
Materials and techniques
Lithograph on paper
Paper
Printing Ink
Lithography
Brief description
Indian film booklet for the film 'Zanjeer' (1973).; Graphic, printed, paper, India, C20
Physical description
The predominant image on the front cover is that of a man's portrait (Pran) looking directly at the viewer. He is depicted in shades of green and has blood shot eyes. In the bottom left hand corner is a man (Amitabh Bachchan) holding a gun and on the right hand side is a women (Jaya Badhuri) dressed in street clothes pointing a knife. The whole poster is in shades of green perhaps to indicate the dark, criminal world which is the subject of this film. The English title runs across the top. The artist's signature is on the along the right hand edge of the cover.

The inside front cover has a synopsis of the film in English and the first page has the equivalent in Hindi. The next two pages have song lyrics in Hindi and the final page and inside back cover have the same in Urdu. The back cover has a list of the film credits in English
Dimensions
  • Height: 24cm
  • Width: 18cm
Production typeMass produced
Gallery label
This booklet was displayed with a group of booklets:
Song booklets are unique to Indian cinema. They contain a film synopsis, stills and song lyrics. The booklets were sold to the audience for a few annas (pence) and in the absence of cheap recordings people would be able to sing the songs at home using the lyrics. In most cases the text was reproduced in Hindi, Urdu and English. Often artists could be more creative and innovative with the booklet covers than the posters.
Subject depicted
Violence
Summary
Zanjeer was the first film in which Amitabh Bachchan, one of India's most important actors, played his now famous role as the 'angry young man'. The cover of this film booklet conveys the theme of anger, violence and evil and sets the tone for many of the films of the 1970s.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.212-1992

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Record createdDecember 9, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O71737/zanjeer-1973-film-booklet-laxman/
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