FilmIndia (1940)

$epnba\j Gallin 9 This section is the monopoly of' " J (JDAS " and he writes what lie likes and about things which he liken. The views expressed here are not necessarily ours, but still they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. FOR THE SAVIOUR OF UNTOUCHABLES! "Entirely unconscious of the cultural work we are doing through our pictures inspite of great handicaps, we are still looked upon as untouchables by people from whom we seek sympathy" said Sardar Chandulal Shah in inviting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to inaugurate "Achhut" (The Untouchable) at the Royal Opera House on Saturday the 23rd December. In his inaugural speech Sardar Vallabhbhai referred to the vital importance of the cinema in the life of a nation and stressed the necessity of using the immense potentialities of the film for the welfare of the country. Urging the people to support the Indian film industry with patriotic enthusiasm Sardar Patel said. "That if "Achhut" really fulfills the ideals for which it is produced, it will have done a great and noble service to the cause of the Harijans. Untouchability is a blot on Hinduism and on india and musi be wiped off as soon as possible. If the picture helps India to remove this cause, it can be said to have helped India to win Swaraj as untouchability is one of the chief obstacles in the road to freedom." While Sard;.r Vallabhbhai said the truth in recognizing the film as a tremendous weapon of culture and propaganda, Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of truth, "thinks" the cinema an evil. Why should there be such a great difference of opinion between the great leader and his first lieutenant? Mahatmaji has yet to see our pictures. The great apostle of truth can't know the real truth unless he experiences it himself. Will he begin with "Achhut"? I shall ask Sardar Chandulal Shah to wait with the film tins at the Mahatma's door, as we are all anxious to get his blessing for a struggling industry. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? When Dr. Gilder was in office, he t.ook a strict and immediate notice of our writings with regard to the overlapping of the cinema shows and the cleanliness in our theatres. The timings of the shows were fixed to leave thirty minutes between the two shows for cleaning. For sometime a batch of inspectors enforced this rule with a new born enthusiasm. But now ! Dr. Gilder is no longer in office. And the inspectors are hardly to be seen. Will some one explain why the rule is so suddenly relaxed? Have the cinemas suddenly become sanitoriums? BETTER PICTURES IN BETTER THEATRES! The present practice of booking pictures followed by the distributors of foreign pictures, especially in Bombay, is hardly praiseworthy. Either as a result of persuasion or through incorrect judgment, we find several rival products released from a couple of wretched cinemas in the city all tne time, while really good picture houses like the Regal and the Eros are skipped over. At present, we do not wish to disclose the method in this madness which in a large way is responsible for the poor returns even on good pictures, but we hope that foreigners who call themselves good ana trained salesmen would understand that the primary fundamental of good entertainment is a good environment, which only really good theatres like the Regai, the Eros and the Metro can provide. What is the earthly use of giving a brilliant entertainment, which some of the Hollywood products give, in theatres which are no better than repainted stables. It is high time that the distributors also learn the difference between a cinema theatre and a dramatic theatre. I hope to see some ot the good pictures of 1S40 going to the better class theatres. PRODUCERS AND STORY WRITERS A constant complaint which I have heard from different producers is their cry for good stories. Whenever I meet one of those wholesale or even retail industrialists, they tell me that India has no story writers and in desperation they are often compelled to seek inspiration from foreign pictures. Admitting that the story is the most important part of a film, I can hardly find a justification for this complaint. I know of instances where the story writers have submitted really good stories which producers, with all good intentions, took home and forgot all about. I know other instances where a story writer's original ideas have been stolen and used by the directors in their own pictures. I know at least one director who makes it a practice of asking for a story from every journalist or story writer and comes out with their ideas in another one under the name of one of his toadies. I know producers, to whom I have personally sent story writers, who could not find time enough to go through their stories. I know other producers who have condemned really good stories without reading them just because a certain man has written them. I know producers who have scrapped a production because half-way through the story writer stopped Mattering the producers. 7