FilmIndia (1939)

FILMINDIA March 1 ters, the white men of the West must have such pictures from time to time to salvage their own conscience and give it a longer life. "India Speaks" richly underlined their "right" to rule a nation of "treacherous natives". MAHATMA GANDHI RIDICULED Again in 1935, R.K.O. Radio produced a tworeeler comedy "Everybody Likes Music". It was a comedy for these Yankees, but what would it have been to us to see our revered leader Mahatma Gandhi 'portrayed as an immoral drunkard dancing with a low woman in a cheap saloon? The only "courtesy" they extended to us was not to name the character after Mahatmaji, but his figure, his dress, and all his peculiarities, which have become so sacred and dear to our nation were used to convey an exact identification that could not be missed. It was a perfectly legal blackmail on a nation that is valiantly struggling to break its shackles of bondage. Fortunately a last minute discretion on the part of the Calcutta branch of R.K.O. prompted the removal of about 200 feet of this offensive portion, again before being submitted to the censors— but only for India. The insult was however broadcast with a relish all over the world and the whitemen laughed at the man whom we worship as a god in our country. The libel found multiplication in other pictures, produced by other American and European producers, like "Wee Willie Winkee," "Lives of Bengal Lancers," "The Charge of the Light Brigade," "Clive of India" and "Kid Millions", and "Tiger of Eschnapur". Then came the fateful "Drum" produced by Alexander Korda to beat the drum of British imperialism all over the world, of course, at the expense of the Indians. The drastic measures taken against this picture by the different provincial governments crowned "filmindia's" agitation against it with a success that has given us fresh hopes to launch a world wide agitation against all Anti-Indian pictures and someday succeed in v/aking up the deep-dyed conscience of the foreign producers and stop them from committing such dastardly outrages on an innocent, peace loving people with traditions that would make any white man jo green with jealousy. And now through the courtesy of Mr. K. Abbas who had the doubtful fortune of perusi the script of "Gunga Din" in Hollywood, anoth shameful conspiracy to belittle India in the ey of the world has been brought to light. A char of ingratitude has been laid at the door of Abbas, a respectable and responsible Indian jo nalist, for turning round and telling his count about the libel in "Gunga Din" after being tre ed "well" in Hollywood by the producers. All that Mr. Abbas had got was solitary lunch from Warners which, cording to the ideas of these America should have helped Mr. Abbas to swallow patriotism and love for his country. To justi that cheap courtesy lunch, a patriotic Indian m sell his country so that the whitemen of the W~ may appreciate his peculiar trait and "broa mindedness". Well, this procedure may be a vi tue in the West but not so with the East. Instructions have already been sent acrot the Atlantic to be wary in future with India who visit the studios. HOW FOREIGNERS PAY BACK By the way it is amusing to hear these f reigners talking of gratitude. How convenient they seem to forget the hospitality showered Miss Katherine Mayo, by the British Indian Go ernment and people in India. And what did f American woman do in return? She went ho and wrote an unscrupulous book on India and make a few dollars and to earn cheap notorie she condemned a whole nation with noble tra tions. "Mother India" is too notorious a spe men of American gratitude. Only a little over a year ago, the Mahara of Udaipur placed all his resources and hospitali at the disposal of the Tobis Film Expedition fro Germany. And they went back and called t Indians "as slow as snails and more stupid th dogs". One wonders who the real dogs are! The Tommy who wrote "The Drum", A. W. Mason, thinks, loudly enough for the world know, that the critics in India unnecessari created a "fuss and a row" when he had sho" the Indians as "good old fellows". Yes, "good o fellows", who invite the white men as guests f