The alluring poster art of Mehboob Khan

Mehboob Khan made his directorial debut with this costume and period drama set in the Ottoman empire. The film was alternatively known as Al Hilal and followed the arrest of the son of a sultan and the unrest it created between the Arabs and the Romans. Judgment Of Allah earned high praise from Filmindia editor Baburao Patel who wrote of Khan that “he will go far”. The first-time director’s name was noticeably absent from the poster.

Mehboob Khan’s only action feature was the film debut of Surendra, credited in the film as Surendra Nath BA, LLB. Surendra’s singing prowess established him as the KL Saigal of Bombay at the time. Actress Aruna Devi assumed the alter ego of the Deccan Queen who took revenge on those who wronged her. The poster captured the fast-paced environment of the film with a speeding train for which it is named, fast-moving sportscar and motorcycle, and a smoking gun.

This early film of Mehboob Khan starring Bibbo, Surendra and Motilal was an engrossing murder mystery. Surendra played the title character Jagirdar who returns home after being lost at sea, only to find that his wife and son have moved on. Jagirdar finds himself accused of his rival’s murder and it is up to his estranged son Ramesh (Motilal) to clear his name. The lower right-hand corner of the poster represents the thriller noir-ish vibe of the film with Motilal wearing a hat and shadows cast over his face.

Mehboob Khan followed up the suspense saga with an overwrought romantic drama. In Hum Tum Aur Woh. Motilal played the object of affection of Maya Banerjee and Rose. The Sagar Movitone film was written by Wahajat Mirza and had music composed by Anil Biswas. As was the trend of the time, the poster featured the English title of the film, We Three, alongside the three stars of Hum Tum Aur Woh.

Made during the British Raj, Mehboob Khan’s Watan took the Tartars and their struggle for independence from the Cossacks and referenced India’s own freedom movement. Starring Kumar, Bibbo, Yakub and Sitara Devi, the period film had hit music by Anil Biswas. The poster of the film showcased all the main actors from the film.

With Ek Hi Raasta, also known as The Only Way, Mehboob Khan made a social drama on the effects of war on those who have lived through it. The young protagonists of the film grow up quickly when they enlist to go and fight in World War II. The feature marked the film debut of actor Sheikh Mukhtar. Ek Hi Raasta’s poster showed the large scope and melodrama that Khan became known for in his larger-than-life films.

Mehboob Khan’s iconic Mother India (1957) was a remake of his own 1940 film Aurat starring Sardar Akhtar as Radha, the role that Nargis later made famous. Actors Surendra and Yakub played her sons Ramu and Birju, respectively. Kanhaiyalal as the villainous Sukhi Lala was among a handful of actors retained from the original in the remake. Radha as the quintessential farmer’s wife is the entire focus of Aurat’s poster.

The title of the film is Bahen, but the poster shows in prominence older brother Amar, played by Sheikh Mukhtar. Nalini Jaywant, in her first film, took on the role of his sister Bina. The film’s story is problematic on many levels, with Amar’s interest in his sister bordering on the obsessive, leading to his refusal to let her marry the man she loves. Interestingly, Meena Kumari played the younger version of Bina in the film.

Mehboob Khan’s social drama Roti had Chandramohan, Sheikh Mukhtar, Sitara Devi and Begum Akhtar (as Akhtari Bai Faizabadi) in significant roles. The film highlighted the striking divisions between the haves and the have-nots. At one end, there was Chandramohan as Laxmidas, who controls the wheat in the city. At the other, there was Shaikh Mukhtar as Balam, a simple tribal who lives off the land. The film’s poster brought into focus Mukhtar’s character while presenting the rest of the cast as well.

Taqdeer was the first film under Mehboob Khan’s own banner. The teenage Nargis successfully made the transition from child artiste to lead actress with this film. She was acting opposite the popular Motilal, but in the film’s poster, the focus was all on the vibrant newcomer. Chandramohan and Noor Mohammed Charlie played the fathers of Motilal and Nargis's characters, respectively, in the film.

With Najma, Mehboob Khan added the genre of Muslim social to his ouevre. He got the highest paid actor of the time, Ashok Kumar, to play the lead role of Yusuf Khan while Veena played the righteous Najma. The two fall in love but go on to marry other people due to family pressures. The unfulfilled love story made quite an impression in its time. The poster shows Veena as Najma, front and centre, while Kumar is featured behind her.

In Anmol Ghadi, Khan got a trio of singing stars with Noor Jehan, Suraiya and Surendra. The film marked the first time the filmmaker worked with music director Naushad and the association stuck until Mehboob Khan's death. The title refers to a watch given between childhood sweethearts when they are separated as kids. The theme of time is also present on the poster which features the leads.

Mehboob Khan pulled off a casting coup of epic proportions when he cast Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in Andaz. This romantic triangle had a decidedly Western touch after Mehboob Khan’s trip to Hollywood. Nargis is often seen in the film wearing modern clothes. Once again, his Taqdeer (1943) star Nargis is the focus of this poster despite the presence of Kapoor and Kumar in the film.

The first Technicolor film made in India, Aan was introduced with great splendour. The expensive feature with international ambitions had Dilip Kumar, Nimmi and Premnath in key roles and introduced Nadira to Indian audiences. A retelling of William Shakespeare’s A Taming of the Shrew, the poster showcased all aspects of the film in colourful style, from the rousing action to the stylish sets and the film’s new heroine.

Arguably Mehboob Khan’s most well-known and beloved film, Mother India is one for the history books. In this box-office success and lingering representative of Indian cinema to the world, Khan gave Nargis a role with which she would be identified forever. While the film’s enduring image is of Nargis carrying a plough on her shoulders (the literal burden), this alternative poster shows Radha as the carefree, laughing bride she once was, before her world was rearranged.