FilmIndia (May-Dec 1938)

♦ Bo MBAY LLING * litis section is the monopoly of "JUDAS" and he writes what he likes and about things which he likes. TJie views expressed here are not necessarily ours, but still they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. = = 1 TELL US ANOTHER MR. GOGTAY! Even in carrying on subsidized propaganda, facts and figures which have to be quoted should be truthful and correct, to carry conviction. But this principle does not seem to have been observed by Mr. Ram L. Gogtay, the editor of "The Motion Picture Magazine", when he tried to make out a case in the November issue of his magazine, for the decrease in valuation and taxation of the exposed films imported into India. For the benefit of the layman, we may straightaway state that the expression "exposed films" means che foreign pictures that come into India from month to month and drain away our millions. It is painful to observe that Mr. Gogtay, who is ;he paid Secretary of the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association, a responsible national body, and who now occupies the editorial chair of this Anglo[ndian magazine with the kind tolerance of the said Association, should, while occupying one position of .rust, betray the interests of the indigenous industry ind become an instrument of propaganda for the "oreign interests. That the Indian producers should allow this paradoxical state of affairs to continue does not speak nuch for their business acumen and nationalism. That a man should work in two opposite camps it the same time, get acquainted with the secrets of )Dth the parties and then try to "serve" the interests )f both simultaneously, is a ridiculous position in any mrsuit of life. And yet, this is what is happening to-day due o the none too praiseworthy tolerance of an over:ind Executive Committee of the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association. Coming to the point of present discussion, Mr. iiogtay says, that an average non-Indian (foreign) icture grosses about Rs. 10,634 in two years. This idiculous estimate of the average is arrived at by aking the annual world gross returns of a foreign -roducer, approximately amounting to Rs. 80.406.796. n the assumption that the said producer turned out 0 pictures a year and then dividing the same by 7,344 theatres spread all over the world. Do all these theatres show the foreign pictures? I doubt if even i/3rd of the number must be coming the way of a single producing company. Isn't it therefore wrong to work the average on this basis? And this painful arithmetical stunt is worked out with an idea to confuse the issue with silly and fictitious world figures twisted to suit the present argument for decreasing the duty on the foreign films. If the gross returns on the best Indian pictures, which have not yet exceeded 15 lakhs of rupees, were to be subjected to this Gogtay's law of averages, the Indian film industry would show a terrible loss and would easily justify an argument for the Government to give its entire revenue as a subsidy to the indigenous film industry. What one should like to know is by what remarkable stretch of reasoning or imagination does Mr. Gogtay require the authorities to take into consideration this painfully arrived at world average, to assess the value of films in India and to fix their taxation ! Haven't these films any Independent value In India? And is the Government under an obligation to consider the huge overseas responsibilities of the foreign producers before taxing their films? We had always credited Gogtay with some brains, but now we must perforce revise our opinion. Mr. Gogtay says that an average foreign film collects about Rs. 10,634 in two years. You will be surprised to know that "Marie Waleweska" starring Greta Garbo grossed over Rs. 28,000. in 7 days at the Metro Cinema in Bombay. In the 2nd week the picture Is reported to have collected another Rs. 20.000 This single instance can prove the immense popularity of the foreign pictures that come to India. An average foreign film, inspite of the competition of the Indian films, still collects a gross of Rs 40,000 per picture and a good picture easily exceeds twice that figure. If what Mr. Gogtay says is true, why don't the foreign producers publish audited figures of their takings all over India in support of Mr. Gogtay's