FilmIndia (1939)

GUNGA DIN Banned in Bengal Filmindia's Agitation Justified Full Board of Bengal Censors Condemns the Picture Filmindia Foils Sly Attempt of The Local Distributors " GUNGA DIN " Condemned All Over The World "Gunga Din" that notoriously anti-Indian pici ture, produced by R. K. O. Radio Pictures Corpora J tion of America, has been banned by the Bengal i Board of Film Censors, when the picture was sub" mitted for censor before the Full Board on the 28th February 1939. The distributors in India of the R. K. O. Radio Pictures, with an idea of counteracting the agitation jagainst the picture, submitted it for first censoring I in India to the Bengal Board, trusting to get an i;easy passage due to the non-Congress complexion of the Bengal Ministry. Filmindia knowing of this manoeuvre at the last moment addressed an important and confidential I letter dated 21st February 1939 to the President. Bengal Board of Film Censors, with the result that on the 28th February the Board refused to pass the picture. Declaring the picture as "NOT SUITABLE FOR EXHIBITION IN THE PROVINCE" the Board took particular notice of the following objectionable features : 1) Kicking of a Thug by a British Sergeant. 2) Murder by a British Sergeant of a Hindu while at prayer in the temple. 3) The lashings and torturing of British Ser geants in uniform by Thugs in the temple. 4) The desecration of a Hindu temple by Ser geant Cutter by his entry in boots and uniform and by his riotous behaviour therein. 5) The scene in which Sergeant Cutter who is drunk tells another Sergeant of his intention to loot the temple. This is what the officials saw in the picture. "GUNGA DIN". CONDEMNED IN HOLLYWOOD "IT IS A DIRTY FILM" say Indians in Hollywood—Reports Ram Bagai, our Hollywood Correspondent. There is a great resentment here among Indian residents of Hollywood against "Gunga Din", the R. K. O. — Radio film, which had its premiere the other day. I invited some of them to see the film and asked their opinion of it. This is what they said: Mr. Abnashi Ram, a merchant: "The film may be entertaining so far as the Western audiences are concerned but to India it does more harm than good. Mr. R. Subra: "It is a dirty film showing India in a very bad light, to me this nullified any entertainment value that it may have had". Mrs. K. B.: "It seems to me that the story is weak. It is titled "Gungadin" but it is all about three soldiers manhandling hundred of Indians and thus it becomes trite. It is a poor screen story and definitely bad for India". I may here state that during the production of the film suggestions were made by me and others to the R. K. O. authorities to avoid hurting Indian sentiment. To some of these they had agreed but when I saw the final film I noted no changes. I think India will have to do the usual thing and boycott it as "The Drum" was boycotted. In this connection the following quotations from Americans Doing "Empire Building" For the British an official bulletin issued by the R. K. O. "Radio Studios would just show what type of film "Gunga Din" is: "Scenes of Britain's Empire Building " "A Mile to the West, the golden dome of a vast, impressive and authentic temple to the goddess Kali whose sole creed and teaching is "KILL" rears itself in splendour !! " "The period of "Gunga Din" is 52 years ago when England was extending the sway of her Empire farther into the scorched hills of North West India. ..." "....several hundred Hindu fanatics (members of the ancient sects of thugs, professional assassins worshipping the goddess Kali) " HINDU "MUEZZIN"? The same official bulletin names five technical experts who advised on the production of GUNGA DIN. These are Sir Robert Erskine Holland, Major Samuel Harris, Captain Clive Morgan, Sergeant Major Williams Briers (all British) and Madame Hilda Grenier whose qualification is supposed to be that she "was in the employ of the Duke and Duchess of York during extended trip to India in 1900". They were all engaged, it is explained not to "complicate England's colonial aspirations"!!! 25