FilmIndia (Dec 1937 - Apr 1938)

H ow ers o f the Month Director Atorthy's first picture at the General Films will be "The Educated Fool". At last Atorthy has hit on the correct subject for him. The pity is that he is not working in it. Ranjit's new director is Mr. Manibhai Vyas. Where was he before? Probably keeping shop at Jamnagar! What right have we to ask when Chandulal Shah brings a man? XXX "The Unexpected" has done the unexpected again by pulling down one more citadel of foreign pictures in Calcutta. Like Bombay, the picture was released at the Empire and the Paradise simultaneously. Kevalchand who happened to be in Calcutta, by accident, thought that he was responsible for this. We could have believed it, had he starred with Shanta Apte. That would have been something really unexpected. XXX The first producer to fly was Mr. Chandulal Shah. He went flying to Jamnagar the place he came from originally. The new air service has made things easier for our producers; they might now go flying when they find people flying at them. XXX Describing the assembly of Delhi Distributors in Bombay a Delhi paper announces them as "Bi^ Distributing Guns at Bom bay." Looking at Jagat Narain and hearing Lala Alopi we might believe anything written of these 'guns', but what about Devi Parshad Khanna and others. Surely, we can't call them their 'sons', so we'll call them 'pistols'. "Milap" ran over six weeks in Delhi and seven weeks in Lahore. And yet they say Rampyari is not popular with the Punjabis. Rampyari should now take up some dancing engagements at these towns, as an aftermath of success. XXX Minerva's next is "Mitha Zahar" (Sweet Poison). It is coming to the Minerva Talkies sometime in December. If they are suggesting "Nasseem" as "sweet" and "Mody" as "poison", then they are justified, as otherwise don't risk visiting the theatre without an antidote previously poured in. XXX Imperial and Saroj — two film companies of Bombay have followed Mr. Polishwalla's lead and granted the Exhibitors 5 per cent off in bookings. How many stations have they recaptured with the bait? They shouldn't have worried about this 5 per cent, they should have done away with the remaining. XXX Wadia's have released "Toofani Tarzan" at 28 stations si multaneously and threatened the entire civilisation of India. Are we going back to the primitive times? Why not start a movement of back-to-nature with Wadia as the first president? "Devika Rani is going on a holiday for a few months", reads a film paper report. Whom is she carrying with her? And where are the directors of Bombay Talkies going? And what will Himansu Rai produce without Devika? Someone must answer these questions. XXX This month's cock of the walk: Chunibhai Desai of Supreme Film Distributors, because the goose with the golden egg is lying in the hospital. XXX In a message given to a Bombay film weekly Sulochana has threatened to come back. Don't believe her. She has always been so playful especially when a weekly of that type is concerned. Sulochana is not nursing a career now, but she is nursing a future and being a wise girl she knows how disappointing a 'come-back' will be. Because Sulochana visits the old studio very often to meet old friends, it doesn't mean that she is coming back. She need not. On the contrary she talks of going far, far away and never coming back. Not that it will make any difference but still she is the one that knows. The same weekly reports of D. Billimoria having given a present to Sulochana with the inscription "Forget Me Not". Sulochana ought to return the present with the inscription "Touch Me Not". 53