FilmIndia (May-Dec 1938)

7ILMINDIA November 1938 awakening to protect our national self-respect and to insist on the correct standard of morals for a new nation in making. To allow old weather beaten hard nuts to carry on the fast dying traditions of imperialism is to deny to the new generation the right of self-expression. A single instance is enough to bring home to the present popular ministry the fact that the present Board of Film Censors has outlived its usefulness. "The Drum" was first seen by one of the two Censor inspectors who thought it necessary to submit the picture to the approval of the Censor Board. A sub-committee of four members of the Board was appointed to examine the picture. With a minor excision of 24 feet this sub-committee passed the picture for countrywide release. The release of this unfortunate picture started an agitation and goaded by public opinion the Government of Bombay was compelled to put a provisional ban on the picture by stopping further exhibition. The Governments of Madras and Bengal banned the picture straightway thus proving their anxiety to protect our national self-respect. This action of the Bombay Government and other provincial governments amply tends to confirm the grave error of judgment on the part of the sub-committee of the Board of Censors in passing the picture for country-wide release. In the present time, the members of an important semi-government body like the Board of Film Censors should be persons with correct national outlook. The present government should define its policy more clearly in this respect. The people expect the Congress Ministers to be more explicit in their aims and objects in their pursuit of national independence. Only the other day, a Russian film called "Circus" was examined by the Bombay Board 4 of Film Censors. The film was endorsed as follows: "Omit all parts of the dialogue suggesting that the Circus manager exploiting the heroine Mary was a German." Imagine the Bombay Board of Film Censors protecting the national self-respect of Germany and forgetting to look after their own. From time to time we have quoted several instan:es of the newly found arrogance of the German people and their attempts to malign India even after enjoying our hospitality. And yet, a Government of well tried Congressmen allows its Censor Board to safeguard the prestige of those Germans. Well., we would not quarrel with the Government about this. India has always been a nation of gentlemen and we have never been anything else but hospitable to our guests even under the gravest provocation. But we certainly expect our Government, that grants protection to foreigners, to protect our national self-respect more zealously than hitherto. In reply to Mr. K. F. Nariman in the Legislative Assembly, the Hon. Mr. Munshi, the Home Minister said that "it was expected that the Members of the Film Censor Board would look after the national interests of the country." "Expected" is alright, but do the members of the Censor Board really look after the national interests of the country? If they do, how is that the Government had to ban "The Drum" on anti-Indian grounds, after the picture was passed by the Board of Film Censors? A hundred years under the British rule we have been living in "expectations". Is our position to remain unchanged even with the popular Congress Ministers in power? Here is another instance of our Congress Ministers' unique regard for the protection of foreign interests. A year back when the present Government decided to grant representation on the Censor Board to the Indian film industry representation was also granted to the Kinema Renters' Society and Mr. Rowland Jones of the Metro's was ap