FilmIndia (1939)

FILMINDIA December 1939 their previous eminence (the only redeeming feature being "Bari Didi"). Prabhat who were in danger of a deterioration after "My Son" once again went to the top with Shantaram's "Admi". Among other studios, Ranjit and Minerva went up with their "Tulsidas" and "Pukar", respectively, while Huns maintained their rising reputation by following the success of "Bramhachari" with "Brandy Bottle" and "In Search Of Happiness". Sudama's made a good start with "As You Please". Supreme's "My Eyes" no sooner opened than closed but "Ghazi Salahuddin" is eagerly awaited. Hindustan Cinetone (heirs of Saroj Studio) may come up. 1939 will be sadly remembered as the year that saw the collapse of Sagar, one of the oldest studios in India. They seemed to have started the year fairly well with "Ladies Only" and "The Only Way" and had announced an ambitious programme including two bi-lingual pictures ("Ali Baba" in Punjabi and Hindustani and "Kumkum The Dancer" in Bengali and Hindustani) for which they considerably increased their staff of artistes and technicians. But then something went wrong, "Comrades" proved treacherous, there were rumours of mergers, closures, mortgages of pictures, reduction of staff, heart-breaks and tears until today the old Sagar glory is no more, and Seth Chimanlal Desai plays the second fiddle to the Fazalbhoys in the newly-formed National Studios. It is a sad, sad story with its own moral. BIRTHS, DEATHS! Over the combined ashes of Sagar and General Films (whose "Pati Patni" was an appropriate epitaph) has risen the new concern called National Studios. They claim to have an ambitious programme but time alone will show how far their claims are justified. Among other new production units recently formed in Bombay one may mention Circo's (who were working in Calcutta so far), India Artistes Ltd., Ray Pictures, Sofiana Pictures, etc., while in Poona we have Arun Pictures and Navyug Chitrapat Ltd., (to be managed by 46 Huns Pictures), and Famous Films in Kolhapur. Several concerns closed down during the year; Krishin Movietone, Daryani; Saroj, and Jayshree Films of Poona. PUNJABI PICTURES FOR PUNJAB The year will also be notable for the reappearance of production units in Panjab which had suffered an eclipse after the advent of the Talkies. Some talkies in the Panjabi language, produced early in the year, which revived popular romantic legends of Panjab like "Heer Sayal", Sohni Mahival" and "Mirza Sahiban" achieved phenomenal boxoffice success. This encouraged a spate of Panjabi films produced not only in Lahore but also in Bombay and Calcutta. The initial curiosity, however, is already dying out and it is well-known that except the first few ones, Panjabi films are no longer the gold-mine that at one time they were supposed to be. But due to the popularity of these Panjabi pictures, as also due to the enlargemnt of the market in South India, Panjab is losing the position it had as the biggest market for Hindustani pictures. On the other hand, since the sensational recordbreaking run of "Achhut Kanya" in Calcutta, Bengal is seeing more and more Hindustani pictures sent from Bombay. In this field Bombay Talkies have come to hold an unrivalled position and the recent success of their "Bhabi" in Calcutta has further consolidated their hold on Bengal. SOUTH INDIA ADVANCES Finally, we come to South India which is fast becoming as important a centre of film production as Bombay or Calcutta. South Indian films which hitherto had suffered from crudities of technique have recently shown signs of considerable improvement and the one or two (e.g. "Thyagabhoomi") that I have had an opportunity of seeing in Bombay were technically excellent, if not perfect. The number of Tamil and Telugu films is increasing and their quality may also have improved but if South Indian producers wish to make a mark in the larger sphere of the national film industry they will have to make pictures in Hindustani. While production in provincial languages is to be deplored in the interest of the national language, there is no doubt that Panjabi, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu films have opened up a vast new business field in small towns and villages where the talking pictures had never penetrated before. Even if for the present they have caused a temporary set-back to producers of Hindustani pictures, ultimately they will bring about a much-needed extension of the film market in India. THE WAR No review of 1939 can be complete without a reference to the situation created by the outbreak of the war. The first reaction was one of panic and it seemed that simply because a supply of Agfa film stock was no longer available, the Indian film industry was going to collapse, and at once the air was thick with reports of retrenchments and 'cuts', abandonment of production plans and delay in scheduled releases. This exhibition of amateurish helplessness has once again emphasized that our industry is not yet organized on sound business-lines and is still largely conducted as a speculative enterprise. Real businessmen would have seen at once that the war, far from being a death-blow, had provided a unique opportunity to reorganize the industry on more scientific and rational lines. The Bolshevik Revolution followed by the commercial blockade, gave an impetus to the Russian film-producers and, faced with shortage of film, they went ahead to perfect a new system of 'editing-on-paper' by which the scenario was so constructed that the director was to waste no footage while 'shooting'. If only the producers insist on getting a proper scenario written before allowing a director to start 'shooting' it would mean better pictures as well as considerable saving of time and expense. And thus, while approaching the threshold of 1940 we look forward to a year of great opportunity. Will it fulfil the hopes of 1939?