4 min readNew DelhiJul 22, 2026 08:30 AM IST Long before Jewel Thief (1967) became one of Bollywood’s most memorable spy thrillers, it brought some of the biggest names of Hindi cinema together. Legendary actors Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala, Ashok Kumar and Tanuja, who had already delivered several hits by then, collaborated with acclaimed filmmaker Vijay Anand for this immersive whodunit. While the film went on to become a huge commercial and critical success, Jewel Theif’s director had to face several challenges while shooting the film, including his feud with the lead actress Vyjayanthimala. His biography, Goldie: The Man and His Movies, details the journey of making the film. After the success of his hit film Guide (1965), Vijay was keen to move away from romance and try a different genre. The story, which he wrote with Narayan Sanyal, is about Vinay (played by Dev Anand) who is taken for a criminal mastermind Amar. To clear his name, Vinay goes undercover and becomes a part of a mind-boggling heist. Jewel Thief’s casting process The casting of …