Mumbai, Jul 23: Late actor-director Joy Mukerji's unreleased film "Love in Bombay" will finally see the light of the day on August 2, 40 years after its production in 1973.
The "Love in" series started with Joy debuting with the blockbuster hit "Love in Simla" in 1960, followed by the golden jubilee hit "Love in Tokyo" in 1966.
"Love in Bombay", starring Joy in lead opposite Waheeda Rehman, was part of the trilogy but remained unreleased until now. It is being released nationally by PVR Director's Rare.
The supporting cast includes yesteryear's biggest names like Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Rehman while music was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and lyrics were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
The negative of the film was found by Joy's children-- Sujoy Mukerji, Monjoy Mukerji and Simran Halwasiya in Fazal Bhoy cold storage at Worli. They got it digitally restored and decided to showcase their father's last work, a year after his death on March 9, 2012 at the age of 73.
"We are really touched by PVR Director Rare's gesture to release the film. They are giving today's young generation a chance to enjoy my husband's classic work. I'm sure they will appreciate his cinema and the same will create nostalgia for those who have seen his work before. I would also like to appreciate the unrelenting effort that was put by Avitel Post Studio in restoring the film's negative," Joy's wife Neelam said in a statement.
The film is an adventurous romantic tale about an innocent, young man, Badal (Joy), who meets an arrogant city girl, Preeti (Waheeda Rehman), on a ship. When the ship gets caught up in a storm, Badal saves Preeti's life and they along with a few others are washed on to an island. What ensues after this is an adventure of love, loss and freedom.
"We are extremely pleased to announce the release of Late Joy Mukerji's 'Love in Bombay' through PVR Director's Rare. By providing a platform which renders it possible for the film to see the light of day, we pay our respects to the celebrated visionary that Joy Mukerji was," Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, JMD, PVR Ltd said.
Joy's producer father Sashadhar Mukherjee decided to launch his son with "Love in Simla" opposite Sadhana after scriptwriter Agha jani Kashmeri convinced him. He starred in musical hits like "Ek Musafir Ek Haseena", "Ziddi", "Shagird" and "Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon".
