FilmIndia (Dec 1937 - Apr 1938)

The Editors Mail Reades "when you are worried" write to me. I will do my best in serving you. Serious matters will be treated seriously, while flippant letters will receive like replier. — The Editor. From: B.D.G. (Meerut). Will you please give me some information about Prabha. Is she a married lady? " Prabha hails from the Punjab and is a daughter of Rajpal of Lahore. She comes from a respectable family and is married to Mr. Satyakam, also of Lahore. She is at present working with Sagar Film Co. There are rumours at Meerut about Sulochana. They say she has left the Imperial Co., and has eloped with someone. Don't believe any rumours. Sulochana has been married to Dr. Weingarten and if she had 'eloped' for effecting a marriage there was no wrong done. Her future with the Imperial Co.. is still in the balance, and for that matter no one can at present tell whether she is ever going to work in any pictures. From: Miss Sita P. Malkkani. As you have forgotten to give your full address, I am compelled to mention your full name. So next time don't forget to tell us the name of the lucky town where you come from. Now to your question. What made you raise the price of your magazine? I think you must have lost a number of your customers as at my place jtwo girl friends of mine who used to buy your magazine before, are now borrowing from me. The reasons for raising the price of "filmindia" are merely commercial. The sales have been going up for the last one year and it was impossible to give the demand a full scope without losing heavily due to the increased prices of paper and printing. In spite of the higher price, the magazine has not dropped down in sales, but you will be pleased to learn that the sales have gone up, though two of your girl friends have chosen to borrow the copy from you and read. As long as they read I am quite pleased, and you are doing them a good turn by accommodating them every month. I wrote four letters to four actresses namely, Devika Rani, Shanta Apte. Leela Desai and Sabita Devi, all decent and polite actresses, re questing them for their autographed photos. I had also enclosed postage to cover the cost of sending the photos, and yet they have not cared to reply to my letters. What do vou think of them? I do not think much of artistes who lack the courtesy of replying to their fans when these fans are solely responsible in maintaining the popularity of the artistes. These four girls ought to have replied to you, but because you happen to be a girl yourself, the appeal of the common sex seems to have fallen on deaf ears. If a prominent man had written for a photograph these girls perhaps wrould have sent him a dozen instead of a mere one. However you need not be disappointed, as in "filmindia", you will always find beautiful photographs of these girls printed from time to time. Next time, however, do not send postal stamps to any one, whoever the artiste may be as some of these stamps, might grace outward-bound love letters. Will you oblige me by printing a three colour photo of Leela Desai in one of your issues? I will, my dear, but you will have to wait for sometime till her next picture, "Vidyapathi" is on the screen. From: C. S. (Bangalore). Is it better to take up a training course in Sound Engineering in a producing company or in any Institute? Is there any institute which does this? If you approach any well established studio it will be long before you get a chance to get into it, because most of the studios are rather badly crowded with a large number of free workers. You can however write to Abdulla Fazalbhoy Technical Institute. St. Xayier's College, Bombay, as this institute which is already doing good work in other departments of Radio Engineering will be shortly taking up training arrangements in Sound Recording, if a sufficient number of students come forward to join this Institute. A diploma from this Institute will prove an effective passport to several studios. 15