Five decades after its first theatrical release, B R Chopra's evergreen classic 'Naya Daur' will be released all over India on August three in its coloured version with Dolby digital surround sound.

The music re-release of the Dilip Kumar-Vaijantimala starrer last evening, was a coming together of legends of the film fraternity. Mr B R Chopra, who is now confined to a wheelchair due to his advanced age, made a public appearance after several years. Thespian Dilip Kumar accompanied by actress-producer wife Saira Banu, veteran singer Asha Bhosale, and Mr Chopra's younger brother Yash Chopra were present on the occasion.

They paid tribute to music composer of the film O P Nayyar and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi who are no more.

Mr Chopra's filmmaker son Ravi Chopra said his effort to release the coloured version was a tribute to his legendary father . 'I was brought up on my father's films. Film personalities like B R Chopra and Dilip Kumar were responsible for putting Hindi cinema on a different pedestal by making films with a difference. The re-release of Naya Daur is my effort of paying back to these great personalities what I have learnt from them,'he said.

'There is an emotional attachment to a film like Naya Daur. We have such splendid films in black and white and I want today's generation to watch them too,'he added.

The entire procedure of change in colour and background score was done over a period of two and a half year with a budget of Rs 3.5 crore in a studio in Goa, Ravi Chopra informed.

--- UNI