MargretGerken at 15:14, 8 May 2026

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{{Short description|1967 Indian film by Vijay Anand}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Jewel Thief
| image = Jewel Thief poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = [[Vijay Anand (Hindi film maker)|Vijay Anand]]
| producer = [[Dev Anand]]
| screenplay = Vijay Anand
{{Infobox | decat = yes | child = yes
| label1= Dialogues by
| data1 = {{Ubl |Vijay Anand}}
}}
| story = [[K.A. Narayan]]
| starring = [[Ashok Kumar]]<br />[[Dev Anand]]<br />[[Vyjayanthimala]]<br />[[Tanuja]]
| music = [[Sachin Dev Burman|S. D. Burman]]
| cinematography = V. Ratra
| editing = Vijay Anand
| studio = [[Navketan Films]]
| distributor = [[Navketan Films]]
| released = {{Film date|1967|10|27|df=y}}
| runtime = 186 minutes
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
| gross =
}}

'''''Jewel Thief''''' is a 1967 Indian [[Hindi]]-language [[Spy film|spy]] [[thriller (genre)|thriller]] [[heist film]] directed by [[Vijay Anand (Hindi film maker)|Vijay Anand]].<ref name=Rediff>{{cite web|title=Revisiting Jewel Thief|url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2003/jan/17dinesh.htm|website=[[Rediff]]|date=17 January 2003}}</ref> The film stars [[Ashok Kumar]], [[Dev Anand]], [[Vyjayantimala]] and features four [[bond girl]]-like actresses portrayed by [[Tanuja]], [[Helen (actress)|Helen]], [[Faryal (actress)|Faryal]] and [[Anju Mahendru]], with [[Nazir Hussain]] and [[Sapru (actor)|Sapru]] appearing in supporting roles. It was produced by Dev Anand's production house, [[Navketan Films]]. The film revolves around a jewellery expert (Anand), as he and [[Mumbai Police|the police]] attempt to capture a notorious jewel thief, but in the process, their true identities get thoroughly muddled.

The film became a box office hit.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=173&catName=MTk2Nw== |title=BoxOffice India.com |access-date=30 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207075802/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=173&catName=MTk2Nw== |archive-date=7 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/chetan-anand-jewel-thief-overshadowed-by-guide-dev-anand-vyjayanthimala-7735256/|title=Dev Anand-Vyjanthimala's Jewel Thief remains one of Hindi cinema's tautest thrillers, even 55 years after it was made|date=23 January 2022}}</ref> J M Barot received the [[Filmfare Best Sound Award]], while [[Tanuja]] received a nomination for [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf|title=1st Filmfare Awards 1953|access-date=30 April 2008|archive-date=12 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612065210/http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Plot==
A mysterious jewel thief has been looting valuable gems throughout the country. As the daring crimes grab headlines, the [[Police Commissioner of Mumbai|Police Commissioner]] of [[Bombay]] mentions that the thief is currently operating in his jurisdiction. He vows to resign if he fails to catch the criminal by [[Republic Day (India)|January 26]].

Meanwhile, the Commissioner's son Vinay is hired by prominent jeweller Vishambhar Nath, who highly values his skill with jewels. During his work, Vinay grows close to Vishambhar's daughter Anjali. At a party hosted by Anjali, Vishambhar's childhood friend Arjun and Arjun's sister, Shalini, mistake Vinay to be Shalini's [[Fiance|fiancé]], Amar. Both of them soon realise the mistake, but Arjun notes Vinay's uncanny similarity to Amar. Nevertheless, Shalini and Vinay strike a friendship, that develops into romance. Shalini's engagement ring is identified as a previously stolen piece of jewellery, and the Commissioner suspects that Amar might actually be the elusive jewel thief.

At Vishambhar's shop, all the jewellery in a concealed storeroom gets stolen. He believes that the man he had left in charge was Vinay, although the real Vinay was with Anjali. The police believe the impersonator was Amar. A small-time thief gets caught at the shop and divulges information about Amar's associate, Helen. Vinay agrees to help the police by impersonating Amar and goes to meet Helen. He tricks her and learns that the real Amar is going to [[Pune]]. There, Vinay meets other members of Amar's gang, including Julie, Amar's wife. The gang flies to [[Calcutta]] and pulls off another jewellery heist. Arjun and Vinay learn from Julie, who has realised that Vinay is only masquerading as her husband, that Amar has left for [[Gangtok]], [[Kingdom of Sikkim]].

Vinay visits Gangtok and meets another Amar associate, Neena. He promises to help her escape the gang in return for information. Neena, however, gets Vinay captured by luring him into the gang's [[Safe house|safehouse]]. The gang's real leader is revealed to be Arjun, who is the jewel thief. No person named Amar ever existed; the identity was created to baffle the police and deflect any attention away from Arjun. Vishambhar Nath was part of this carefully planned scheme, too, while Shalini had assisted the gang in securing the release of her kidnapped brother, Shishu. When she approaches Arjun for Shishu's release, she gets locked up with him in the safe house. Having discovered secret passages under the building, Shalini rescues Vinay and explains the situation to him. The three try to flee but are recaptured. Vinay is administered electric shocks to wipe out his memory. The gang then makes Vinay believe that 'jewel thief Amar' is his real identity. Their plan is to stage a fake heist of the Sikkimese crown jewels and let 'Amar' take the blame. The police will be manipulated into shooting 'Amar' dead, forever lifting suspicion from the actual criminals. Since Shalini is a well-known dancer in the royal court, she is to facilitate the gang's entry disguised as a [[dance troupe]]. 'Amar' dies according to plan, and the gang celebrates. Vinay, however, had merely been acting; he had secretly warned the police about the gang's plan beforehand. Anjali, who has discovered her father's criminal involvement, has got in touch with the police too. The police surround the safehouse and Vinay corners Arjun, but he manages to escape. Vinay follows Arjun to his plane, but the latter threatens to shoot him. Anjali, though, has already removed the bullets in the gun, and the Commissioner appears to announce that the entire gang has been arrested, before January 26 as promised. Anjali takes Vinay to the cabin where Shalini is waiting for him with Shishu, as the plane gets airborne.

==Cast==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Ashok Kumar]] as Arjun Singh
* [[Dev Anand]] as Vinay/Prince Amar
* [[Vyjayantimala]] as Shalini "Shalu" Singh
* [[Tanuja]] as Anjali Nath
* [[Helen (actress)|Helen]] as Helen
* [[Faryal (actress)|Faryal]] as Julie
* [[Anju Mahendru]] as Neena
* [[Nazir Hussain]] as Police Commissioner
* [[Pratima Devi (Hindi actress)|Pratima Devi]] as Police Commissioner's wife
* [[Sapru (actor)|Sapru]] as Seth Vishambhar Nath
* [[Jagdish Raj]]
* [[Sachin (actor)|Sachin]] as Shishu Singh
{{div col end}}

==Production==
===Casting===
For the lead female role, [[Saira Banu]] was approached by Dev Anand. Banu, who had earlier worked with Anand in ''Pyar Mohabbat'' (1966) declined the role due to her marriage to actor [[Dilip Kumar]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Farhana Farook |date=27 August 2008 |title=A legend retold |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_a-legend-retold_1186145-all |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123051050/http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-a-legend-retold-1186145 |archive-date=23 November 2016 |access-date=19 April 2012 |newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]]}}</ref> Banu had also turned down the role of Rosie in the 1965 film ''[[Guide (film)|Guide]]'', which was produced by Anand.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/may/26saira.htm |title='This serial is my tribute to my mother' |publisher=[[Rediff]] |date=26 May 2003 |author=Subhash K. Jha |access-date=19 April 2012}}</ref> Soon, actress [[Vyjayanthimala]] was signed for the role; she had worked with Anand before in ''[[Amar Deep (1958 film)|Amar Deep]]'' a decade earlier. Vyjayanthimala was also considered by Anand for the lead role in ''Guide'', but was rejected by [[Tad Danielewski]], the director of ''Guide''{{'}}s English version.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040307/spectrum/main5.htm |title=Goldie: Guide for new filmmakers |newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |date=7 March 2004 |author=Devinder Bir Kaur |access-date=19 April 2012}}</ref>

=== Influences from Western cinema ===
The movie was noted for combining elements from different [[Alfred Hitchcock]] movies, ''[[To Catch a Thief]]'' (1955), ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]'' (1958) and in particular ''[[North by Northwest]]'' (1959).<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 December 2022 |title=Bollywood Saturday: Do You Know Dev Anand's Jewel Thief Was Inspired By THIS Hitchcockian Thriller? |url=https://www.india.com/entertainment/bollywood-saturday-do-you-know-dev-anands-jewel-thief-was-inspired-by-this-hitchcockian-thriller-entertainment-news-5779491/ |website=[[India.com]]}}</ref> Film critic Richard Allen also adds the movie [[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|''The Man Who Knew Too Much'']] (1956) to this list as well influences from the [[James Bond]] series in how the female actresses are empowered, including a bath scene taken from [[Thunderball (film)|''Thunderball'']] (1965), and aesthetic borrowings from the [[French New Wave]], such as the [[beret]] cap of Dev Anand's character.<ref>Allen, Richard, ''To Catch a Jewel Thief: Hitchcock and Indian Modernity'', 15 (2006-07): 215-41.</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name = Jewel Thief
| type = soundtrack
| artist = [[Sachin Dev Burman|S. D. Burman]]
| cover = jewelthief_sound.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|1967}}
| recorded = Minoo Katrak
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
| length =
| label = [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]]
| producer = [[Sachin Dev Burman|S. D. Burman]]
| prev_title = [[Guide (film)|Guide]]
| prev_year = 1965
| next_title = [[Talash (1969 film)|Talash]]
| next_year = 1969
}}

The film's soundtrack was composed by [[Sachin Dev Burman|S. D. Burman]], who earlier made a string of memorable films under Navketan Films. The lyrics for this film were by [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] songwriter [[Majrooh Sultanpuri]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nihalani|first1=Govind|last2=Chatterjee|first2=Saibal|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema|date=2003|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=9788179910665|page=607|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT607|language=en}}</ref> except for "Rula Kay Gaya Sapna" by [[Shailendra (lyricist)|Shailendra]]. At that time, Shailendra wasn't keeping well, so Sultanpuri was approached for the movie.

The male playback was done by [[Kishore Kumar]] and [[Mohammed Rafi]], who lent their voices to [[Dev Anand]]. The female singers were [[Lata Mangeshkar]], who lent her voice for [[Vyjayanthimala]] and [[Asha Bhosle]] for [[Tanuja]] and [[Helen (actress)|Helen]].

The song, "Dil Pukare Aa Re, Aa Re, Aa Re" was notable for being the first duet that Mangeshkar and Rafi recorded together, following their disagreement over royalties in the 1960s.

{|class=wikitable
! Song
! Singer
![[Raga]]
|-
| "Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara"
| [[Kishore Kumar]]
|
|-
| "Aasman Ke Neeche Hum Aaj Apne Peechhe"
| [[Lata Mangeshkar]], Kishore Kumar
|
|-
| "Dil Pukare Aa Re, Aa Re, Aa Re"
| Lata Mangeshkar, [[Mohammed Rafi]]
|Pahadi
|-
| "Hothon Mein Aisi Baat Main Dabaake Chali Aayi"
| Lata Mangeshkar, [[Bhupinder Singh (musician)|Bhupinder Singh]]
|[[Ahir Bhairav]]
|-
| "Rulaake Gaya Sapna Mera"
| Lata Mangeshkar
|Pahadi
|-
| "Baithe Hai Kya Uske Paas"
| [[Asha Bhosle]]
|
|-
| "Raat Akeli Hai, Bujh Gaye Diye"
| Asha Bhosle
|
|-
| "Dance Music"
| [[R. D. Burman]]
|
|-
|}

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Jewel Thief'' was a profitable venture for the distributors. Over its theatrical run, ''Boxofficeindia.com'' reported that the film had managed to gross {{INR}}3,50,00,000 with a net of {{INR}}{{formatnum:17500000}} and, adjusted to inflation is about {{INRConvert|345200000}}.<ref name="Box Office 1967">{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=173&catName=MTk2Nw== |title=Box Office 1967 |website=Boxofficeindia.com |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207075802/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=173&catName=MTk2Nw== |archive-date=7 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Top Earners 1960-1969 (Figures in Ind Rs)">{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=123&catName=MTk2MC0xOTY5 |title=Top Earners 1960–1969 (Figures in Ind Rs) |website=Boxofficeindia.com |access-date=20 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503221507/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=123&catName=MTk2MC0xOTY5 |archive-date=3 May 2012 }}</ref> Subsequently, ''Jewel Thief'' was declared a hit at the box office. It ended up as the sixth highest-grossing film of 1967 and [[List of Bollywood films#1960s|thirty-fifth highest-grossing film of the decade]].<ref name="Box Office 1967"/><ref name="Top Earners 1960-1969 (Figures in Ind Rs)"/>

==Premieres==
Following the success of ''Jewel Thief'', the film was screened in many film festivals. In August 2008, the film was screened along with three other films by Dev Anand at the Government Museum Auditorium for the Chandigarh Film Festival.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200808131621.htm |title=Week long film festival to screen Dev Anand super hits |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=13 August 2008 |author=Press Trust of India |author-link=Press Trust of India |access-date=19 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310184530/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200808131621.htm |archive-date=10 March 2014 }}</ref> The film was also screened by the [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India]] on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of [[Navketan Films]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_dev-anand-shines-bright_1288532 |title=Dev Anand shines bright |newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |date=8 September 2009 |access-date=19 April 2012}}</ref> On 1 August 2009, ''Jewel Thief'' was premiered at [[Regal Cinema]], [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/mumbai/The-return-of-Jewel-Thief/etarticleshow/4845370.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708040411/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-02/bollywood/28200559_1_dev-anand-devsaab-evergreen-actor |url-status=live |archive-date=8 July 2012 |title=The return of 'Jewel Thief' |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=2 August 2009 |author=Times News Network |author-link=Times News Network |access-date=19 April 2012}}</ref> The premier was attended by [[Dev Anand]], [[Jackie Shroff]], [[Sudhir Mishra]], [[Amrita Rao]], [[Deepak Parekh]], Vijay Kalantri and Pooja Misrra.

==Sequel==
{{main|Return of Jewel Thief}}
A sequel titled ''Return of Jewel Thief'' was released in 1996, with only two actors reappearing and reprising their original roles; [[Dev Anand]], reprising the role of Vinay Kumar and [[Ashok Kumar]], reprising the role of Arjun. It was one of the movies in which Dev Anand acted outside his own banner, Navketan. The movie also had an ensemble cast, consisting of actors [[Dharmendra]], [[Jackie Shroff]], [[Prem Chopra]], [[Sadashiv Amrapurkar]], [[Shilpa Shirodkar]], [[Madhoo]] and [[Anu Aggarwal]].<ref name=Rediff/>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb title|0061842}}
* [https://youtube.com/watch?v=QfVqDgbcKN8''Jewel Thief''] on [[YouTube]]

[[Category:1967 films]]
[[Category:1960s spy thriller films]]
[[Category:1960s heist films]]
[[Category:Indian spy thriller films]]
[[Category:1967 Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by S. D. Burman]]
[[Category:Films directed by Vijay Anand]]
[[Category:Indian heist films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Sikkim]]
[[Category:Films about gemstones]]

Jewel Thief 1967 film - Revision history

MargretGerken at 15:14, 8 May 2026