Filmmaking is entirely a team effort and the effort begins when the producers are in, who bring in all the money required to initiate the creative process. At times the producer is one individual person and many a time, we have a team of two or more, who collectively produce a film and then share the profits or losses.
Having said that, partnerships happen and post the success of a film, they get broken too for various reasons, with the producers opting for their solo projects next gaining some extra confidence. But then, even if the partnerships get dissolved, the films earlier released as joint venture projects remain there as it is and they keep existing in that particular form with all the names intact as mentioned in their original prints.
However a rare and strange feature can be seen in the opening credits of FAULAD (1963) and SACHAA JHUTHA released in 1970, which is probably the only case of its kind as I cannot recall any other similar instance in the past in any Hindi film.
Giving you the background first, as informed by our learned elderly friend Sundeep Pahwa, SACHAA JHUTHA was a film made under the banner of VR Films, in which V stood for Vinod Doshi and R for Rajni Desai. The two producers earlier also made FAULAD (Steelman/Partly in colour) featuring Dara Singh and Mumtaz under the banner of Broadway Pictures. And in the posters of the film you can find both the names clearly mentioned as producers or nirmata (in Hindi). They later made SACHHA JHUTHA together under the banner of VR Films formed with the first letter of their names put together.
For some unknown reasons, the partnership got dissolved post the success of SACHHA JHUTHA and they went on to make their individual projects in the subsequent years. Vinod Doshi later made BLACKMAIL (1973) and NASTIK (1983), whereas Rajni Desai made only one film and that too with Manmohan Desai again as ROTI (1974).
Now here comes the tricky, rare and strange part of the story.
As stated above, both Vinod Doshi and Rajni Desai made two films as FAULAD and SACHHA JHUTHA together (under different banners) and then decided to go solo. So obviously we should find both the names mentioned in the credits of these films, made when they were together before the separation.
BUT surprisingly that is not the case becoming a rare instance.
Now if we go back to the films finding them officially uploaded on youtube and other online portals by SHEMAROO Home Video Company, then the credits mentions two names on the screen as the producers. But quite weirdly, only the name of Vinod Doshi is visible coming first but the name of Rajni Desai cannot be read as it has been hidden with a black strip on the screen (made on the print itself).
The same can be seen in the credits of both the films, in FAULAD as well as in SACHAA JHUTHA (shared in the screen-shots), whereas the available original posters of these films have both the names of the producers written very prominently..
Honestly, I am not aware at what point of time and which year (post the initial release) it was done and what would have been the reason behind such blunt deletion of a name in the prints itself (making an unheard of extra effort). May be it was decided that way by both the partners themselves while separating or maybe there was a clause stating it clearly.
But in any case, this possibly remains the only example of its kind among the films jointly produced by two or more producers, wherein a name was deleted in the prints of all previously produced films post the dissolution of the partnership.
Would really appreciate if any more information can be provided about this or any other similar case by the readers, as it is no doubt an exclusive instance rarely written or discussed about ever before.
Looking forward to your inputs on the same,
Bobby Sing
bobbytalkscinema.com
(31st July 2020)
Note:
With a big thanks to Sundeep Pahwa for sharing his valuable inputs on the rare case resulting in this write-up.
Keep sharing such amazing facts Sir!
Cheers!
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