FilmIndia (1946)

FILMINDIA Mehtab looks better as a boy than, as a girl as this photograph from "Bairam Khan" shows. January, 1946 b) Realizing the universally accepted fact that mass audiences like long features, as long as boredom can permit, this aspect of popularity seems to have been assigned to the foreign pictures so that they can compete successfully against the Indian product in local languages. The nooofeet restriction on Indian films contributes to the insidious efforts of the government to pitch foreign pictures in direct opposition to the Indian ones. Otherwise, why would the Government take so much pains and spend Indian money to propagate British pictures through their official departments? c) When the Indian film industry approached the government recently for some protection against foreigner^ dubbing, their product in local languages, the Government categorically refused to interfere. What does all this show? It is clear that the Govern ment do not wish to lift even their little finger to help Indian films. Otherwise how can the anomaly of this footage restriction be explained during times which arc fast returning to normal ? If the Government have some decency left, it is high time that the nooo-fect restriction is removed forthwith. The Indian film industry would not be so scared of tlv foreign competition if the Government kept their dirty fingers out and let the trade fight out and settle its own problems in its own way. SHAME TO BE MYSORE AN! Like all new converts, even slaves sometimes show more fanaticism than their rulers. News comes to us that the Mysore State authorities have banned the film of the proceedings of the recent session of the All-India Congress Committee held at Bombay Veena is asking for blessings in "Pehli Nazar", a Mazhar picture. That is why people want to buy "Pchli Nazar" paying a fancy price. saying that, "The film is not fit for exhibition in the State as the same has not been passed by the Members of the Board." And we have always looked upon Mysore as a very progressive State. (Progressive? My foot!) If we call this ban stupid we shall be giving only a very poor description of the utter imbecility of intelligence displayed by the State authorities in banning a film which, because of the national leaders and their immortal words contained in it, is a nation's future heritage. If the Mysore State authorities think that by banning this film they are stemming the surging tide of nationalism, they are living in a fool's paradise. The film is but a minor symptom of the epidemic of freedom prevalent in the country. If the Mysore authorities think that by banning the film they have served their masters loyally, there again they are very much on the wrong track. The masters themselves will be soon sailing on the high seas homeward bound, leaving their loyal slaves to the tender mercies of those very leaders whose faces are banned today. Political censorship is a disgusting ulcer in these democratic times and the least we can say about the action of the Mysore State authorities is: "Forgive them, Oh Lord, for they know not what they do." Mysore is the State, Free India must mark down for special treatment. It is a shame to be a Mysorean. FILM GODOWNS OF THE FUTURE! Stung by our writings the Bombay Municipal au'ho rities have at last moved in the urgent matter of prescrib ing correct godowns for storing our films. L3