'Naya Daur' to be re-released in colour

MUMBAI: Dilip Kumar, hair flying in the wind, riding a tonga and serenading Vyjanthimala in "Naya Daur" is one of the most enduring images of Indian cinema.

Now, this black and white classic is getting a new lease on life. Fifty years after its release, filmmaker Ravi Chopra is set to release his father B R Chopra's classic creation in colour, thus adding to the film's evergreen appeal.

"I think my father is the most complete filmmaker, and this was one of his best films. It had everything -- performances, great music and a social message. By re- releasing it in colour, I am only paying tribute to his effort," Chopra said here yesterday at the film's music release.

The function, attended by Dilip Kumar, B R Chopra and singer Asha Bhonsle, turned into a journey down memory lane as the veterans recollected their experiences of making the movie.

"I was a second assistant director and in those days, we had to make our own staying arrangements. We stayed in a veterinary hospital in Bhopal, and every evening Dilipsaab made delicious chicken dishes which the two of us ate with great relish," filmmaker Yash Chopra recalled.

Dilip Kumar, who was the leading man of the day, reminisced about the badminton games he and leading lady Vyjantimala played after pack up, saying: "She was a very good player."

Asha Bhonsle thanked B R Chopra for giving her an opportunity to sing in the film at a time when she was a "nobody."
   
"This was the time when didi (Lata Mangeshkar) was at her peak and there were other great singers like Shamshad Begum. I was just a newcomer who did not know how to sing but B R Chopra trusted me and gave me a chance," she said.

She, however, pointed out, "Yashji was not too keen but he had to listen to his elder brother. It is funny but he always preferred my elder sister, and his elder brother preferred Lataji's younger sister.

"Anyways it is the same thing," she said, evoking laughter from the audience.  The colourised version of the film is set to hit theatres on August 3.