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By Joginder Tuteja, August 5, 2009 - 11:24 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Tanuja, Helen, Nasir Hussain, Anju Mahendroo, Sapru
Director: Vijay Anand
Producer: Dev Anand
Music: S.D. Burman
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shailendra
THE FILM
Dev Anand's classic Jewel Thief was recently premiered all over again in Mumbai. However, for those who couldn't catch it in theaters, it was just apt for them to lay hands on the film's DVD and revisit this 3 hour long suspense thriller. Yes, 3 hours long! In the current times when even a love story is seldom stretched beyond 2 hours and a thriller is presented in an even shorter duration, the running length of 'Jewel Thief' was a neat 3 hours.
But guess what, it was the combination of some great screenplay, dialogues, editing and direction by Vinay Anand that kept the drama and thrill quotient intact in spite of such lengthy narrative. No unwanted romantic angle, no emotional outbursts, no dialoguebaazi - Jewel Thief is just plain and simple 'stick-around-the-plot-and-deliver-goods' film that could give modern day thrillers a run for their money more than 40 years after it was first seen on the big screen.
Frankly, the film had one complicated plot and though it was way ahead of it's times when released, it was still a HIT at the box office. This means that one can't really suspect the audiences of the generation gone by as they too eventually caught the plot in spite of limited exposure to Indian cinema, let aside World cinema. Still, when even the current generation watches the film for the first time, one can bet that there would be hardly anyone who could really claim to see the suspense coming!
So who is Dev Anand? Is he Vinay, the man who can walk the talk when it comes to precious stones? Or is he Amar, the 'Jewel Thief' who has created havoc across the country through his widespread network (watch out for an extended sequence featuring newspaper cuttings announcing the arrival of Jewel Thief' - quite well done)? Is Vinay
indeed the lover boy as he seems or is he actually a playboy? Is he really avoiding both Vyjayantimala and Tanuja with a purpose or is it a facade that he wearing? Is Vinay actually Amar? Or is Amar indeed Vinay? Or are they two separate entities?
Of course those who have seen the film would know the answers but the fact remains that in spite of that, there is so much to catch in the film when seen all over again. Watch out for the glances that Ashok Kumar shares with his on-screen sister Vyjayantimala time and again. Or the powerhouse interaction that Dev Anand and Ashok Kumar have when they meet for the first time in a party (reminds one of a somewhat similar situation in Gupt when Raj Babbar comes to blows with Bobby Deol). Or the sigh of relief on Ashok Kumar's face when he finds Dev Anand comforting Vyjayantimala.
There are number of 'drop-your-popcorn' scenes in the film that makes one immediately remember 2008 super hit 'Race' that again had a twist and turn every 15 minutes. The moment Sapru comes and explains to Dev Anand that he was busy cutting diamonds with him till a few moments back (when in reality he was actually being seduced by Tanuja) is high voltage entertainment. Same is the case when Ashok Kumar has his jaws drop once he gets into a conversation with Dev Anand and realises that it was actually his 'humshakal' who was staying with him for last few hours!
As was in the case of Race, picture abhi bhi baaki hai mere dost even though the 'real suspense' is revealed close to one hour before the film's end! An altogether different story begins from here as the plot only becomes thicker with every passing minute. Any regular movie may have ended by this time but Vinay Anand decides to play around and continues to spin a tale that could become confusing for an unsuspecting mind. Yes, one has to watch the film with extreme concentration, especially in the second half of the film, since the director doesn't quite offer everything right on the platter. He serves it all out there but invites his audiences to come and help themselves! And to think about it, we are talking about the year 1967!
These are some of the very reasons that make one firmly believe that Jewel Thief is indeed one of the greatest thrillers that Bollywood has dished out over the decades. The film is fresh, modern, urban and high on thrill quotient, all of which merges well to make it one of the most memorable and lovable watch ever!
PACKAGING
The DVD comes in a regular plastic case
DURATION
The film's duration is 175 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
The DVD doesn't come with any special features
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1
PRICE
Rs. 169/=
CONCLUSION
In fact afterted to ask Bollywood film makers that why haven't they ever though about remaking this classic thriller. When movies like Sholay, Umrao Jaan, Don and even Victoria No. 203 have been presented in their new avtar - some good, some bad and some really ugly - then why has Jewel Thief never been the chosen one? That's because if there is one twisted thriller that throws newer nuances even today in spite of repeated viewings, it is Jewel Thief.
 
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