Flashback: 40 years of 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna'

Dev Anand recently said he will remake his 1971 blockbuster replacing the hippie culture that the original film highlighted with a modern premise.

Ahead of the release of Abhishek Bachchan-starrer 'Dum Maaro Dum', that has drawn flak for its depiction of the tourist haven of Goa, we take a trip down the memory lane and look at the Dev Anand-Zeenat classic 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' - one of the few Indian films to show the decadence of the Hippie culture.

'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' is a 1971 film directed by Dev Anand and starred beside himself, Zeenat Aman and Mumtaz. The film was a big hit and made an overnight star of Zeenat Aman, who played the role of a hippie.

The movie had an anti-drug message and depicted the western hippie trail.

Hare Rama Hare Krishna was critical of the hippie trail that had brought the drug-inspired young to Asia, but somewhere, its message was derailed due to the success of its song 'Dum Maro Dum'.

It is also one of the rare films at the time to depict separation and divorce, perceived as a Western influence on Indian culture.

Asha Bhosle won the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for the song 'Dum Maro Dum', which was a huge hit. The music of the film was composed by Rahul Dev Burman and the lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi.

Dev Anand chanced upon the story of 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' when he saw hippies in Kathmandu where he was on a visit after protests against his previous film 'Prem Pujari' in Kolkata.

Abhishek Bachchan recently said the only relation his film has with 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' is that its title has been taken from the first lines of a hit song in the film.

Hare Rama Hare Krishna celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.