FilmIndia (1939)

ICaiaka Cjoes Wed I BY: KHWAJA AHMED ABBAS 'Film Critic of the "Bombay Chronicle") "But every P. & O. liner brings more and more of those who like me stepped out of the smugness of our homes to be battered about in our effort to acquire an English education. It is the contrast that is too much for us. We present a pathetic picture of completely helpless men who know little about the world and less about life.... "I find myself drifting away from the thought and opinion that dominate my country. I object to being judged by their standards and I have little respect for their conception of morals. ..." — D. F. Karaka in "I Go West". "You will nearly always find when a literary man. or a dramatic critic, or some other peculiarly intelligent person, launches into a violent attack on films, that he has gone into some picture house on chance and had bad luck with his programme. His argument will be that it just proves how bad pictures really are — but actually it proves how little he knows about them." C. A. Lejeune. "Last week I saw 'Adhikar'. It is the second Indian picture I have seen. . . . I confess that the vernaculars are not my strong point." D. F. Karaka in "filmindia". Mr. D. F. Karaka is a colleague and friend of mine. I believe I could call him "Dossoo" and get away with it. I have great regard for his literary ability and was perhaps the first person in India to review at length his brilliant book, "I Go West". I mention these facts not by way of a hypocritical apology but to warn those readers who may be tempted to misconstrue the purpose of this article. As for Mr. Karaka himself he has been long enough in journalism not to resent this controversy, which he will readily concede, is wholly on an impersonal plane. Indeed I would not have undertaken to reply to Mr. Karaka's "I Regret to Say" ("filmindia", February!, if I did not see in it more than his personal views. While reviewing "I Go West" and commending its courageous exposition of the view-point of modern youth I had called it "the portrait of a generation". Now I may use the same expression for his article. It is the echo of the arguments against Indian film that I have heard again and again from many of my very close friends. The words from "I Go West" and "I Regret to Say" that I have quoted at the top of the article are not meant to take advantage of Mr. Karaka's sincere self-analysis which I greatly admire but to place before the readers (as Exhibit A!) the psychological and intellectual background of his attack on "Adhikar". While replying to Mr. Karaka I am addressing a whole generation — all those Europe-returned intellectuals who do not go to see Indian films. THAT HANDBOOK ON DIRECTION From direction to the sets, he finds nothing good in "Adhikar" at all. Even though he has read Lejeune and seen nearly every picture that has come out of the "big houses" (?) of Hollywood and England (surely a record as each of the three biggest Hollywood studios produce about 200 per year!), I regret to say Mr. Karaka is hardly competent to judge the technical aspects of a film. No wonder he makes amusing howlers. He objects to the "wandering camera", not knowing that it has been employed by some of the best Movie Directors and cameramen including Rene Claire and the leftwing Russian technicians. According to Mr. Karaka, "when a man or woman is singing a song, it is his or her face or expression that Mr. P. C. Barua whose "Adhikar" woke up two critics and with what result! is shown not the walls and the ceiling and the rest of the set." I will advise him to watch closely the next "musical" he sees. Variety of cuts are essential for a song sequence and even the most beautiful singer will appear boring if his or her face is kept projected on the screen for the full length of the song. Mr. Karaka had better study himself that handbook on the elements of direction which he wanted to give to Mr. Barua! Mr. Karaka does not like "Adhikar". I don't blame him. Every one is eligible to indulge in his individual taste. Personally while I have great regard for Barua as a Director I do not agree with his social philosophy which is too vague and Tagorean for my liking. His attitude to life is too aristocratic, too individualistic while I am a socialist. Even at the risk of appearing to weaken my argument I must say that I don't regard "Adhikar" as the best Indian film. Indeed, in my opinion, it is not even Barua's best film. But, then, it is purely my personal opinion which is often liable to vary from the popular view. For instance, I definitely did not like "Camille" even though the whole world was raving mad over it. Everyone in "Society" said, "Oh, how sweet, my dear", simply because by using the slogan "Robert Taylor Loves Garbo" the M.G.M. publicity men had convinced them that the mere fact that the world's most handsome (but 37