FilmIndia (May-Dec 1938)

Pound the town "POORNIMA" Produced by: Prakash Pictures. Released at: Krishna Talkies. Date of Release: 10th September 1938. Cast: Gulab, Nurjehan, Sardar Akhtar, Ranjit, Badri Prasad, etc. Screen Play: (By Ramanlal V. Desai). With an excellent thought provoking material, though the theme sounds rather familiar, this picture has not become as pathe tic and effective as the original story in the book. Ramanlal's books are not suitable for screen adaptation because of the crowd of characters which the writer introduces in every yarn of his. The attempt to do so in "Poornima" is however praiseworthy. This is the story of a prostitute who dislikes her own profession and wishes to settle down in society by legitimate marriage. Her struggles to achieve this end have become the subject of this story. Language: (Hindi) (By Anuj). The dialogues were rather tame considering the spirit of the play and did not impress. Music: 'By S. V. Vyas). Popular devotional lyrics and concert classics seemed to have saved the music director from the trouble of giving something new and original. Photography: (By Guru Shirodkar). Inspite of the "art conception" of Kanu Desai, that clever artist, the photography had n.'t much to claim in artistic composi tion or eloquent lighting. Most, of the scenes were taken in an amateurish way. Recording: (By Batuk Bhatt). Quite good. Direction: (By Balvant Bhatt). People were all the while looking out for direction. It was a misfortune that they could not find it. The subject seemed to prove itself beyond the reach of the dirfctor's usual intelligence for stunts. Performances: With a crowd of mediocre talents one cannot possibly expect any excellent performances. From the lot to be reviewed Sardar gave a pretty good performance. Gulab was her usual best. Nurjehan has become too 'big' for the camera. Shirin is utterly hopeless. She gave a pathetic performance in a sympathetic role. Her physical condition did not seem to suit the demands of the role. Badri Prasad sang badly. Umakant was disappointing, while the hero, Ranjit was tiresome. The rest hardly deserve any mention. Publicity: Excellent publicity, intelligent and clever for Prakash, ushered the picture to a large and waiting crowd. Kanu Desai's sketch work and clever stills impressed well. Box Office Value: For Prakash who had recently specialized in stunt pictures, this is a praiseworthy effort and as such should be encouraged by all exhibitors. "GRAMAPHONE SINGER" Produced by: Sagar Film Co, Released at: Imperial Cinema. Date of Release: 17th September. 1938. Cast: Surendra, Bibbo, Prabha, B. Advani, Sankatha, & Others. Screen Play: (By Pandit Sudershan & R. Thakur). The story of this picture claims a nodding acquaintance with the theme of "Two Women" a picture produced by Imperial about a year back. The picture hardly has any story worth remembering. A popular gramaphone artiste leading a happy, contented married life comes across a songstress and for a time is lost in the net of her charms. For Sagar who claim of giving new and good stories to the world this is hardly a suitable subject for a picture. The romantic and foolish escapades of a singer can never provide any guidance to society. The continuity of the picture is thoroughly amateurish. { ( } (The reviews published • • under this section are use j I tul both to the average J | cine-goer and the exhibi I • tor. Several technical { I aspects which are of im \ | portance to the exhibitor J • in his bookings have been » i treated here in short, | { maintaining, at the same J | time, the casual interest i • of readers in general.) L I Language: (By Zia Sarhadyt. The dialogues were common and failed to help the story. Music: (By Anil Biswas). The Sagar people have given better music in other pictures, but in this which was supposed to be a musical the music director seems to have suddenly lost his talent. The verse composition of songs Nos. 8 and 11 is good. The other songs are apologetic. Photography: (By Keki N. Mistry). Tolerably good. Recording: (By Kaushik). Poor and too bad for Sagar. Bad recording has spoilt most of the music. Bibbo has suffered the most. Direction: (By V. C. Desai and R. Thakur). Considering that a couple of juniors have directed this picture, as their very first attempt, their work in this picture is quite praiseworthy. Performances: Prabha stands out with her pathetic performance. Her broad gruff voice gave good company to the tears which several pathetic situations made her shed. Surendra seemed to enjoy the freedom he got in this picture. In consequence, he has done good work. Bibbo sang rather badly. Bhudo Advani tried to instil humour in a modern suit. The only role which seems to fit this man is that of a highway man. To give him roles in a social picture is risky. Others did not count. Publicity: Half-hearted. Box Office Value: Surendra and Bibbo is a popular pair and people will be attracted to hear their music. A fair box office draw. 51