FilmIndia (Dec 1937 - Apr 1938)

April 1938 FILMINDIA production by turning out a successful picture in "Chandra Rao More". Right in the wake of this success, three more pictures in "Baghban", "PatiPatni" and "Industrial India" have been launched into production. But their youth and enterprise called for colour and Mahomed Akbar Fazalbhoy, the most imposing from the brothers, went out to England and brought back "Dufay Color" a new process which has a great pull over all other existing colour processes. ADVANTAGES OF "DUFAY COLOR". Some of the advantages of "Dufay Color" over other processes are as follows: — 1. Single negative film bearing full three-colour record exposed in normal motion picture camera without special accessories. 2. Processing by normal development. No dyes. No toning. No bleaching. No reversal. 3. Printing by contact upon "Dufaycolor" positive film using normal machinery. Direct negativepositive procedure. No intermediate stages. 4. Editing, cutting, etc., absolutely normal. 5. High-speed emulsion permitting exterior exposures even in very poor light. Studio illumination increase not excessive. 6. Considerable latitude. Printing adjustment compensating to some extent for errors of exposure. 7. Magnificent colour rendering unapproached by any other process. Every tone correctly rendered from the most delicate pastel colours ot the most brilliant hues. The colour rendering of "Dufaycolor" is not an approximation, it is a precision record. 8. No extra charges for cameras, and other special services. 9 Colour stills supplied in the form of either transparencies or paper prints. Dufaycolor rollfilm, flat film and film-packs available for all types of camera. And with all these advantages, next time when you hear of the triumph of the Fazalbhoy Brothers, don't be surprised and don't tell me that I didn't warn you. RANI & RETINUE! On the 8th of February they were all out playing, enjoying a well earned rest as they said. I mean Rani and her illustrious retinue. On the 14th April, "Nirmala" was ready for the screen. Just a week over two months, and "Nirmala" is the life story of a woman from childhood to old age — a ad all that long tale completed within two months — and after completion the picture is on the screen within a day. That is precision and efficiency. Bombay Talkies seem to know exactly what they are doing. "Achoot Kanya" was completed within six weeks and "Jeevan Prabhat" took hardly two months. And both these pictures proved great successes. "Achhoot Kanya" ran 52 weeks at Paradise in Calcutta and 20 weeks in Bombay. "Jeevan Prabhat" ran 17 weeks in Bombay and is running marvellously well everywhere. And now "Nirmala" comes with a greater promise in the wake of these successes. At this rate, Bombay Talkies will soon smash all production records by putting into the market 6 pictures a year with a single unit. There is speed and efficiency in the Studio and now we know why they earned a lakh and over in profits last year. "NANDKUMAR"— A RARE MUSICAL In the midst of huge and bewildering settings the final shots of Pragati's "Nandkumar" are being taken. I can't say that I like the Tamil language which needs the top note even if the man is sitting close to you, but there seems to be such an amount of good music in the South that one is almost charmed with the sweet tunes and their numerous variations. The day I called to see their shooting perhaps happened to be the match day between Master Mahalingam, the young "Krishna" and Krishnamurthi, the famous hero of Ratnavali, who acts as "Narad" in "Nandkumar". They were both singing each other out and believe me when I state that it was a treat for the Gods. Even between these two, apart from the grandeur and the melodramatic killing of "Kansa" and a thousand other gripping incidents, the picture will be perhaps the best musical for the South. 13