Aadha Din Aadhee Raat (Half-day, Half-night), 1977
Set of 6 Showcards, c. 1977, 75cm X 50 cm
Tinted gelatin silver print and poster paint on textured board with screen-printed lettering.
Aadha Din Aadhee Raat is a 1977 action film starring two of Bollywood’s most famous actresses.
Asha Parekh was one of the top stars in Hindi films in the 1960s and 1970s, and is said to have starred in more hit films than any other actress. Shabana Azmi is one of Bollywood’s most internationally acclaimed actresses and a committed social activist known for her portrayals of women facing injustice. Her performances have challenged social perception on a range of issues from arranged marriages to homosexuality. She has received the coveted National Film Award for Best Actress five times, Best Actress Filmfare Award four times, and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. She also received the Ghandi International Peace Award in 2006.
"This colourful set of showcards emphasizes the multiple plot lines and personal conflicts common in a 1970s masala film. Each showcard depicts a different strand of the story — which is filled with themes of revenge and unrequited love. Scenes set into sunglass frames [Cat. no. 54] or in between legs [Cat. no. 53] reflect a particularly creative compositional layout. The black pant legs of one of the figures have beed elongated by paint to serve as a frame for a scene from the movie. The surrealist quality of the showcards gave them a fantastical appeal to audiences at the time.
The film Aadha Din Aadhee Raat (1977) was produced by P. Mallikharjuna Rao and Bharati International, and directed by Dhoondy. Music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Colour, Hindi, starring Shabana Azmi, Jalal Agha and Prem Chopra.
--Text by Dr. Deepali Dewan and Alexandra McCarter, based on Deepali Dewan, ed. Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s. Showcards from The Hartwick Collection. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum Press, 2011. Copyright of and reproduced here with the generous permission of the Royal Ontario Museum.
Literature
Deepali Dewan, ed. Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s. Showcards from The Hartwick Collection. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum Press, 2011, p. 105, Cat. no. 53, 54, 55, 56.