Funtoosh (Carefree), 1956
Showcard, c. 1956, 53 X 37.5 cm (20.9 X 14.8 inches)
Tinted gelatin silver print and poster paint on textured board with hand-lettering.
Dev Anand was amongst the most distinguished actors in the Indian film industry. His prolific career spanned over 50 years, from his debut in 1946 to the year of his death in 2011. He earned civilian honours, National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards for Best Actor, a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and several international honours and recognitions.
"A major hit when released, this film stars Dev Anand in the title role of Funtoosh, a mentally unstable man bent on committing suicide. A wealthy man saves his life and takes him in, but only to take out a large insurance policy on his life. In this showcard, Dev Anand dancing in the centre makes a theatrical gesture that at first glance seems clownish but at closer inspection is reveals a disturbed figure. The yellow title lettering also seems to convey both comedy and tragedy, engaging the viewer in the emotional twists and turns promised by the film.
The film Funtoosh (1956) was produced in 1956 by Navketan International and directed by Chetan Anand. Music by S. D. Burman. Black and white, Hindi, starring Dev Anand, Jagdish Raj and K. N. Singh."
--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. 57, Cat. no. 4.