Jewel Thief (1967)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Vijay Anand

Writers:

Vijay Anand (dialogue)
Vijay Anand (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 October 1967 (India)

Genre:

Musical | Thriller

Plot:

Vinay, an ordinary young man who finds himself constantly mistaken for a look-alike jewel thief named Amar...

Plot Keywords:

Jewel Thief | Title Spoken By Character

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ashok Kumar	...	Arjun Singh
Dev Anand	...	Vinay / Prince Amar
Vyjayanthimala	...	Shalini Singh ("Shalu")
Tanuja	...	Anjali Nath ("Anju")
Helen	...	Helen
Faryal	...	Julie
Anju Mahendru	...	Neena
Nasir Hussain	...	Police Commissioner
D.K. Sapru	...	Seth. Vishambar Nath (as Sapru)
Pratima Devi	...	Vinay's mother
Jaidev
Jagdish Raj	...	Jewel Thief's associate
Keshav Rana
Prem Prakash
Jerry Mohan

Runtime:

186 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Company:

Navketan

Movie Connections:

Followed by Return of Jewel Thief (1996)

Soundtrack:

Rulake gaya sapna mera

The man who wasn't there..

Jewel Thief is a rare breed of film - completely noir in its story but nothing noir about the presentation. A young man Vinay, superbly played by a newly face lifted Dev Anand at age 40+, is estranged from his police officer Dad and finds a job in a jeweler's store. Soon random people come up to him and call him Amar. Using just a few pithy moments the presence of a "doppelganger" is established. Then a woman Shalini (Vyjayantimala) comes forward and claims to be engaged to said doppelganger. She is accompanied by her loving brother (Ashok Kumar) who is so convinced that Vinay is actually Amar he makes him take his shoe off and prove that he is not Aamr, the 6 toed one. The jeweler's super cute daughter Anju (Tanuja) is completely enamored with Vinay. Amidst all this confusion there is a Jewel thief on the loose and he is stealing at will. Slowly we learn from Vinay's encounter with a super hot night club singer (Helen!) that the thief is Amar the doppelganger. Many many good looking women (Anju Mahendru, Faryal) are after the hero. The police force, including Vinay's Dad, are completely befuddled. Vinay is slowly falling for Shalini/Shalu and her brother seems to bless the union. The action moves to Sikkim as that is where Amar's next heist is to occur. The rest is for you to watch - the duplicate, the girls, the men who hang on to Vinay's every word thinking he is their boss Amar, the loving brother sister duo - nothing seems quite right, and it takes the deft story telling (and direction) by Vijay Anand to conclude this tale in a highly entertaining manner. The movie has numerous moments that you will wonder at until they deliciously weave into a grand finale at a dance in a palace in Sikkim.

I was not a big Vyjayanthi fan but she is quite competent here, although at her chubbiest. She is able to add to the confusion in the story in a subtle way, but is best when she is sorrowful or dancing. Tanuja is cute as a button and I loved her in this film. I so badly wanted her to get the man. Dev was, well, Dev. If he were not walking like a man with a congenital shoulder defect (one shoulder always lower than the other) I would wonder who they had found to imitate him! Yet his style, charm and charisma were unfailing. In the song Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara, only Dev could look cool carrying a fishing rod to which a large plastic fish was attached! Ashok Kumar was simply awesome - Dada Moni did not miss a beat the entire movie and turned this into one for the history books.

SD Burman spun magic with numbers like Baithe Hain Kya Uske Paas (Helen in a blood red rooster imitation dancing on a bar top), Aasman Ke Neeche, Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera, and my personal favorite seductive number Raat Akeli Hai Bujh Gaye Diye.

If you are craving a great story, with more twists than a pretzel, wanting to be kept guessing, yet amused and entertained - then go buy or rent Jewel Thief. Better to buy it, then you can go back and see it again with your buddies. This one is a keeper.