Following Mugal E Azam, this is the second classic Indian film to be re-mastered in colour – a process that heightens several scenes in the still-pertinent story. Vyjayanthimala stars as Rajni, the stunning village belle who inadvertently causes a rift between Shankar (veteran actor Dilip Kumar) and Krishna (the late Ajit), best friends vying for her charms. Meanwhile, the village falls into disarray when city-returned, money-hungry bigwig cuts jobs by introducing buses and machines to replace local manual labour. Thanks to maverick composer OP Nayyar, Naya Daur is a fine musical, while this shortened re-release benefits from slick, much-needed editing.
