By Sanjeev Kumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: The blockbuster movie Caravan released in theatres on Oct 29, 1971.This crime thriller Hindi film is celebrating its 53 years today. Directed by Nasir Hussain and produced by his brother Tahir Hussain (Aamir Khan's father), the film starred Jeetendra and Asha Parekh in the lead.
As per box office reports, the iconic film of Hindi Cinema ‘Sholay’ helmed by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan saw selling of around 25 crore tickets. But the film Caravan saw selling of more than 31 crore tickets during its lifetime. Infact, the higher number tickets sold, included that sold in China. Sholay was a super duper blockbuster in India. But the film Caravan had been a big hit in China. The film had grossed $4.81 mn in India and $36 mn in Asia. The box office numbers show the Caravan collected nearly 8-times its India collections from abroad.
DEV SAAB’s 'JEWEL THIEF' BRINGS JEETU’S CARAVAN!
The film Caravan has very superhit classic songs. The songs are superhit in this Gen Next age,too. Music scored by RD Burman, the trivia here is the tune for the mukhda of the song Tum Jaison ko to payal mein baandh loon was derived from a cue in Dev Anand’s Jewel Thief.
The story here is the cue was used in the scene in which Dev Anand's character visits Helen's apartment after the song "Baithe Hain Kya Uske Paas". R.D. Burman had assisted his father S.D. Burman in scoring the music of "Jewel Thief" (1967). And he took the cue from here.
Also, the trivia is he had used this cue for a line in the mukhda of the top chartbuster song "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" in the film Caravan.
The storyline here is had RD Burman not been the assistant music director in Dev Anand’s Jewel Thief, the composing of chartbusters would not have been possible. And the B-Town’s jumping Jack’s ‘Caravan’ would not have touched the dizzy heights. The film's music palyed a stellar role in Caravan’s blockbuster hit in home and abroad.
CARAVAN FACTS
- The film's plot was loosely inspired by Girl on the Run (1953).
- On the occasion of Asha Parekh's birthday during the film's shoot, Nasir Hussain had organized a special Caravan shape cake for her.
- Jeetendra's only film with Nasir Hussain.
- Asha Bhosle won Filmfare award for best singer female for the song Piya Tu Ab to Aaja.
- Singer Asha Bhonsle has often cited 'Daiya yeh main kahan aa phanssi', composed by Rahul Dev Burman as the most difficult number she has sung in her career.
