FilmIndia (1939)

FILMINDIA Some months back when Mr. J. O. Bartley, who was acting as the Secretary left, Mr. Pai, one of the inspectors took over his duties. Mr. Pai's first job is to peruse and pass films. After he finishes this job, he begins acting as a Secretary. A very queer procedure for a permanent department. Isn't it? Mr. Bartley was a part time man as others, previous to him, have also been. His principal job was in the Elphinstone College, so he attended the Censor office for 2 hours every day. And for these two hours, he got Rs. 350 a month, a salary at which the Government can get a well qualified man for full time work. The Censor department is self-maintained. The Government has not to spend on it. And yet no effort is being made to organize this department on modern lines to meet the demands of the industry. Men in the industry want statistics for guidance and information about contemporary institutions in the other parts of the world. Who else should supply this information but the Censor Board? The British Board of Censors does. Why shouldn't our Board do it? A whole time Secretary, of course a qualified Indian, can certainly do all this and make Mr. Pai free to examine films, which is his main job. MOTION PICTURE SOCIETY AND ITS NEW PRESIDENT A communique issued by the Government of India states that the Motion Picture Society of India has been granted recognition by the Government by including it in the list of other recognised commercial bodies. This should have been done long before. But even at this stage it is welcome as the Official recognition of the Society as the only representative body in the Indian film industry goes to prove that the agitation of the Society in the past has had its full effect cn the authorities. The official communique bristles with results achieved by the Society by agitation on different 12 February 1: fronts. Reduction of duty on raw films, increase i assessment value and duty on exposed films, abfl tion of drawback in duty on exposed films, grant concession in railway fares, revision of censoring n thods, supply of statistics to the Society and mail taining statistics of the import of cinema equipmei are some of the results achieved by the Motion P ture Society. But all this is the result of an intensive agitati which was going on prior to two years. For duri the last two years, different jealous elements in t Society have been warring with one another with t result that no further useful work or propaganda h been done. The Motion Picture Society is the only body wi a background of experience and achievements to r present thoroughly the motion picture industry India. All that the Society now needs after the r cognition by Government is an annual grant from t| Government to defray a part of its expenses for £ spread of educational and documentary films. The annual grant can be justified on the groui that the Motion Picture Society apart from being body representative of all the different interests the industry, is primarily an institution for further ing the progress of educational and documentary filr in the country. Fashioned after the British Film Ii stitute in its objects and ideals, the Motion Pictu Society certainly deserves an annual monetary gra: from the Government. Of course, for the corre organization of its affairs, the Society may have accept a little official supervision, but such supel vision, if enforced, is bound to do it more good tha bad. Who could ultimately achieve those objects A the Society as originally planned, but Sir Rahimtullsj Chinoy its present President? Sir Rahimtullah hai pens to be a commercial magnate in the city. S reorganize the Society on new lines, or even to juvenate it, will not be a difficult task for him. The: is no glory in being a President of an institution whi is heavily involved in debts, as the Society is at pn sent. Will Sir Rahimtullah take this work in har immediately?