Jewel Thief

Awards

• No award information available.

Trivia

Album

• Ashok Kumar was hesitant to come on board for this film since he was recuperating from a recent heart surgery. He agreed to act in the film only after director Vijay Anand accepted two conditions placed by him. First, he would not be involved in any action scenes and second, he would only work from 11 am to 5 pm with a one-hour break in between.[MR52]
• R.D. Burman, who assisted his father S.D. Burman in scoring the music of this film, developed the tune of the song "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" ("Caravan", 1971) from a theme in its background score. The theme 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 also used the same theme for the mukhda of the song "Tum Jaison Ko To Paayal Mein Baandh Loon" ("Garam Masala", 1972).[1][2]
• According to Dev Anand, the mukhdas of most of the songs in the film were composed by R.D. Burman, while S.D. Burman composed the antaras.[MR21]
• A sequel was made for this film decades later - "Return Of Jewel Thief" (1996). The film starred Ashok Kumar and Dev Anand and had them reprising their characters in this film.[3]
• The Anand brothers had a fallout with Vyjayanthimala during the making of this film and never worked with her again. They squabbled with the actress over her tardiness on the film's sets, her refusal to rehearse to their satisfaction, and her interference in certain shot compositions. It didn't help that Vyjayanthimala was having an affair with Dr. Bali, who was married at the time to Ruby, a family friend of the Anands.[MR52]

Song

• Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara - In an interview with lyricist Gulzar, R.D. Burman revealed that he had adapted the tune of the whistle in the theme of the film "The Bridge On The River Kwai" (1957) for the mukhda of this song. The same tune was used in the title song of the film "Paltan" (2018).[4][5]
• Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara - S.D. Burman had offered the tune of this song to Guru Dutt for the film "Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966). Not liking the tune, Guru Dutt had declined it and gone ahead with O.P. Nayyar instead.[6][MR4]
• Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera - After the success of "Guide" (1965), Shailendra was the obvious choice for writing the lyrics for this film's songs. However, he had lost his will to write songs after the debacle of his production "Teesri Kasam" (1966). Director Vijay Anand pursued the lyricist relentlessly and even got him to pen this song for the film but eventually opted for Majrooh Sultanpuri on Shailendra's recommendation. The melancholy in this song was perhaps an indication of Shailendra's state of mind during his last days.[7][8]
• Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera - The word "mera" in the song's title was initially written by Shailendra as "tera". He changed the word to "mera" at director Vijay Anand's suggestion.[MR21]
• Baithe Hain Kya Uske Paas - S.D. Burman used twin-track recording for this song to create harmonies between two vocal tracks of Asha Bhosle.
• Raat Akeli Hai Bujh Gaye Diye - This song may have inspired the title of the film "Raat Akeli Hai" (2020).[9]
• Raat Akeli Hai Bujh Gaye Diye - When Kalyanji - Anandji were stuck with the composition of "Husn Ke Lakhon Rang" ("Johny Mera Naam", 1967), Vijay Anand referred them to this song as an example of how words could be spaced out to develop a sensual rhythm in a song.[10][MR52]
• Hothon Mein Aisi Baat Main Daba Ke Chali Aayi - This dance song used a number of percussion instruments including the tabla, tabla tarang, khol, Burmese drum, and gongs. Sudarshan Adhikari played the khol in the song. Percussionist Amrut Rao played the tabla as well as the gongs. He revealed in an interview that since the gongs' mallet was missing, he had to use his fist to strike them.[MR21]
• Dil Pukare Aa Re Aa Re Aa Re - A public performance of this song in 1967 symbolised the thawing of Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar's relationship after a rift that lasted a few years. The two singers had stopped singing together sometime in 1963-1964 over a disagreement on the matter of singer royalties. Lata Mangeshkar was demanding that producers pay playback singers royalties for the sale and public performance of their songs. Her demand was supported by a few other singers but Rafi refused to back Lata. He believed that playback singers could not expect producers to pay them anything beyond the one-time fee for singing a song. This difference of opinion led to a heated exchange at one point, that ended with the two singers declaring that they would not sing together again. The dispute was followed by a sharp fall in the number of songs they sang together - they had just seven songs to their credit in 1964, none in 1965, and four in 1966. According to Lata Mangeshkar, it was S.D. Burman who helped them reconcile. It was announced at an S.D. Burman musical program conducted in 1967 at Bombay's Shanmukhananda Hall that the two singers had resolved their differences. Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi performed this song in the program.[MR7]
• Dil Pukare Aa Re Aa Re Aa Re - This may have been the first Hindi film song to be shot in Sikkim.[MR21]
• Dil Pukare Aa Re Aa Re Aa Re - S.D. Burman had used the tune of some parts of this song earlier in the Hindi film song "Tasveeren Banti Hain" ("Jeewan Jyoti", 1953).[11]

1. ^ Piya Tu Ab To Aaja (Caravan, 1971)
2. ^ Tum Jaison Ko To Paayal Mein Baandh Loon (Garam Masala, 1972)
3. ^ Return Of Jewel Thief (1996)
4. ^ Bridge on the River Kwai Theme
5. ^ Paltan (Paltan, 2018)
6. ^ Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966)
7. ^ Guide (1965)
8. ^ Teesri Kasam (1966)
9. ^ Raat Akeli Hai (2020)
10. ^ Husn Ke Lakhon Rang (Johny Mera Naam, 1967)
11. ^ Tasveeren Banti Hain (Jeewan Jyoti, 1953)