This film was completed in 40 days, made two actors superstars, lead actress died after release, her name was… film is…

This movie changed the course of lives of veteran actors Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha. Made in a small budget, the film was wrapped up in a month, and marked Gulzar’s directorial debut. We are talking about one other than the 1971 superhit release Mere Apne.

The film also starred Meena Kumari, alongside Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha in lead roles. As per IMDb, the shooting of the film was completed in just 40 days. Meena Kumari, who appeared in the role of an elderly woman, saw her final release with Mere Apne before her untimely demise. According to reports, she continued working on the film while dealing with her illness.

Mere Apne worked as image breaker for Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha. The two who often portrayed antagonist roles in their earlier films, got an opportunity to prove their versatility as an actors, which they rightfully did.

Upon its release, Mere Apne became a commercial success, grossing more than Rs 1.7 crore at the box office. Bankrolled by N C Sippy, Raj N Sippy and Romu N Sippy, the film’s music was composed by Salil Choudhury, while the lyrics were penned by Gulzar. The editing department was handled by Waman Bhosle and Gurudutt Shirali, and the cinematography was done by K Vaikunth.

Mere Apne is the Hindi remake of National-Award winning Bengali release, Apanjan. Apart from Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and Meena Kumari as the leads, the film was supported by names like Deven Verma, Paintal, Asit Sen, Asrani, Danny Denzongpa and Keshto Mukherjee.

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