FilmIndia (1939)

February 1939 FILMINDIA In crime and mystery dramas, the element of fear must be used to frighten the mind of the audience. This is done by use of frightening .sound or fearful action. The mystery in the picture however is well maintained, till the last minute. The picture is very well directed technically. The dialogues are quite suitable. The music, however jis not much of an attraction, though Wahidan sings two songs rather well. Photography is good and so is the sound. The song composition is common. E. Billimoria's attempt to sing a song is not well received. Points of Appeal: The picture jwill appeal to all those who are .fond of reading mystery stories. iQuite a good picture for school going children. The mystery and .suspense in the picture contribute .largely to its attraction as an entertainment. "DIVORCE" Producers: Minerva Movietone — Story and Scenario: Gajanan Jagirdar and Pandit Anand Kumar—Dialogues and Songs: Anand Kumar— Music: Mir Saheb Photography: S. D. Patel— Audiography: M. Edulji— Direction: Sohrab jMody— Cast: Naseem, Sheela, IShanta Dutt. Sunalini Devi, Galianan Jagirdar, Navin Yagnik, Prem Adib and Others— Released Lit: Krishna Talkies. BombayDate of Release: 30th December il938. There is hardly any message in (this picture as the writer himself does not seem to have made up Els mind till the end about what he started to tell the world. Incidentally he has forgotten at several places what he started with. The picture has therefore become a hotchpotch of several ideas, some experimental, some enterprising and the remaining unconvincing. The Story: If this is to be called a story it has very modest pretensions. Roopa and Niranjan are married but on a flimsy excuse,— all over a dog — Roopa walks out Dn him to take a divorce. "Andhi" i newspaper man is married to Shanta, but he drives his wife out. Roopa remarries Amarnath a screen actor, who spoons with Menaka a screen actress. All this muddle goes on against the wishes of the old order. Roopa's married life with Amarnath soon turns into a tragedy, while Niranjan himself on the verge of falling in love with Shanta tries to restore her to "Andhi" her husband. But in doing so she commits suicide and Niranjan carries the corpse to the cremation ground. But before the corpse is burnt out, another is found in the body of Roopa who dashes herself to death in an automobile. The hero, Niranjan, Pandit Anan<l Kumar, this excellent writer has given a refreshing simplicity to the dialogues of "Divorce" (Minerva). He gives a bold promise of becoming one of our leading Hindi writers. becomes philosophic mutters something incoherent and the story ends. The whole affair looks queer and sounds funny. Acting: Naseem as Roopa looks far different now. She has added weight allround, and her face looks bloated. She had little expression before, but even that is now covered by solid fat. Her work in the picture is apologetic and one cannot understand why! Navin Yagnik as Niranjan the hero, possesses a nose which is rather too long and in consequence dominates his other features effectively. One finds that big, long nose blowing in and out throughout the picture to supply the de mands of emotional acting. Vimla Vasheesta speaks her dialogues with a bad provincial tone. Shanta Dutt is hardly suitable as a "screen star", which role she plays so unconvincingly. Gajanan Jagirdar has hardly anything to do. He loafs through the picture with an abandon which suggests that he has nothing to do with the story. The pity is, he wrote his own part. Prem Adib as Amarnath is just no good. In the midst of all these disheartening performances Sheela has given a good and sympathetic portrayal as Shanta. Her dialogues are good and her voice is eminently suitable for sad songs. Sheela holds the interest of the audience but she has not been sufficiently exploited. Production: The direction of the picture is weak. The photography is indifferent and the sound recording called for more care. The dialogues are pretty good, and certainly easier to understand when one remembers the previous pictures of Minerva. The song composition is quite neat. The music can be called rather good. Songs Nos. 1, 2, 3 are very nicely tuned though indifferently sung. The boatman doling out philosophy in and out of season did not speak much for the imagination of either the writer or the director. Points of Appeal: The theme in the picture is set out as a poser and might appeal to some. Sheela's work is certainly a recommendation. "MR. X" Producers: Prakash Pictures* — Story and Direction: Dwarka Khosla— Photography: G. N. Shirodkar — Audiography: L. J. Bhatt — Music: Shankerrao, Vyas and Laloobhai — Processing: Vishrambhai — Editing: Kamlakar — Dialogues and Songs: S. L. Shrivastav "Anuj" — Cast: Ratan Bai, Jayant, Ranjit, H. Shivdasani, Indurani, Anant Marathe, Lalloobhai and Others — Released at: Super Talkies, Bombay — Date of Release: 23rd December 1938. This picture takes us back ten years which means that out of 25 43