FilmIndia (1939)

lenge even to these studios. But what is more important is that other studios also are now devoting considerable attention to improved cinematography and sound-recording. In this connection, I cannot help mentioning the excellent results that Krishna Gopal has been able to achieve in Ranjit pictures. His handling of the camera and lights was, in my opinion, the outstanding technical achievement of the year. Processing, a field in which Bombay Talkies have always excelled, is also showing signs of all round improvement though it is clear that it has not kept pace with the tremendous improvement in photography which one can notice even in the pictures of such studios as Sa^ar, Film Corporation and, to a lesser degree, in Wadias. NO HITS ? Except for the sensational success that Bombay Talkies' "Bhabi" had at Calcutta and the phenomenal popularity of "Sant Tulsidas" and "Pukar ', I don't think 1939 has produced many 'hits' which would run as many weeks as "Tukaram", "Dhoop Chhaon", "Amrit Manthan" etc. That, however, is certainly not due to lack of good pictures but rather due to a generally improved standard of pictures, so that no one picture can have a record-breaking success. "Admi", by far the best picture of the year, daring in its conception of a vital theme and equally daring in its treatment, years ahead of average pictures in technique, must pay the price that original genius has always paid. It is running well everywhere but it is doubtful if it will be among the year's three most successful pictures at the boxoffice. I have no doubt, however, thai five years hence any second-run cinema that is lucky to show "Admi" will find it to be a small gold-mine. "Bari Didi", which I regard as the year's second best picture, proved to be a box-office failure. Which was a great pity as Amar Mullick's maiden directorial triumph deserved universal appreciation. This young (?) man's sudden emergence as a fine director may be recorded as one of the outstanding events of the year. But for his "Bari Didi", New Theatres record would have been very poor, indeed — as Nitin Bose's "Dushman" (technically delightful) had a very weak story, Devaki Bose's "Sapera" surprisingly bad technique and Phani Mazumdar's "Kapal Kundala" was a model of bad direction. From the box-office point-of-view "Sant Tulsidas" and "Pukar" were the best hits of the year. The Ranjit picture, notable for its extraordinarily distinguished technique, scored by virtue of its appeal to the devotional-minded folk, heightened by the 'Bhajans' sung by Pagnis. A TABOO BROKEN "Pukar" succeeded inspite of bad technique and weak direction. The reasons for its success are worthy of analysis. I would put them in the following order ( 1 ) The spectacular nature of the picture — the Glory that was Ind — provided a refreshing relief from the glut of "Social" pictures we had been having. (2) The sentiment of the picture — an Emperor's devotion to the ideals of justice — appealed to people, while the underlying motif of Hindu-Muslim unity under the Moghals also helped to make it popular. (2) The generally chaste Urdu dialogues of Kamal Amrohi. with their occasional literary flourishes, went extremely well with audiences in Northern India. The moral to be drawn from the success of "Pukar" is that new subjects always pay. And the outstanding contribution of this picture has been lifting of the taboo on themes pertaining to Muslim history or tradition. Bombay Talkies began the year well with "Bhabi' which introduced Renuka Devi as a potential star. After that their "Durga" was notable principally for the acting of Devika Rani but "Kangan" promises to be a 'hit', being a sound, allround entertainment. In this studio the year saw two important changes. Their German Director and technicians, arrested at the outbreak of the war, were successfully replaced by their Indian assistants and for the first time Bombay Talkies engaged an already-established star — Leela Chitnis ! RISE AND FALL On the whole it would appear that while Bombay Talkies maintained their usual level — neither dropping down nor reaching newer heights — , New Theatres definitely came down from 45