FilmIndia (1940)

FILMINDIA February 1940 Even supposing a picture contained some objectionable material, it is neither the creed nor the duty of a journalist to use the picture as a lever for his own benefit. If in his opinion, a journalist thinks that a certain picture is objectionable his duty ends with his review of the said picture. But to go out of one's way, trace imaginary grievances, and harness them for the purposes of a blackmail is a procedure which no decent man should indulge in. This blackmailing process has a queer technique. In fact one set of blackmailers gives birth to another. When a Muslim picture is in the making, the unfriendly set starts its shouting by writing against the picture on all possible points imaginable and condemning the picture very thoroughly. If one reads one of these vituperative articles he would feel that the glorious religion of Islam is in a most precarious state of being wiped out. Producers naturally take alarm and whisper small sums as the price of silence. But this gives further encouragement and the price goes up. And now steps in the other set — the friendly one. It has been waiting for the things to take alarmingly enough shape to enable an imposing entry of a really friendly people. And now the two sets fling articles and epithets at each other and between the two the producer loses his parentage, ancestry and posterity, pledges his morals and traditions and very often gets his picture banned by the censors. The picture has attracted too much notoriety by then and the censors, usually soft and silly people, do like to play safe with all. If however the picture escapes the censors and is passed, the friendly set steps forth for their well deserved 'bakshish' which is very often more than what the other set of blackmailers originally demanded. This has been going on in the North for the last ten years and we blame our producers for this deplorable state of affairs. The Film Journalists' Association of India have already disowned these blackmailers as journalists. Several of them are not even members of the Association and would not be accepted even if they applied for the membership. But the producers who suffer the most from such illegal and vicious practices maintain these people and their dirty rags by advertisements and occasional hush money. If these blackmailers — both the friendly and the unfriendly ones— one day find that producers are no longer prepared to foot their bill of exist ence, this awkward problem will disappear in a day. But as long as producers keep on paying, these North Indian journalists who lack all sense of decency will keep on blackmailing any and every one that comes along. It is a strange paradox that some of the producers who blackmail papers which believe in independent and impartial criticism, cannot defend themselves again?* the blackmail of professional blackmailers. This shameful affair must end somewhere and the best way to do it would be to get all the papers approved by the Film Journalists' Association of India before they are patronised by the producers. If this procedure is followed, the members of the Association who represent all the leading papers and magazines in the country, would lend their unqualified support in defence of the producer against such blackmailers. Would the producers accept this friendlv suggestion? If not, let them keep paying hush money to the blackmailers who not only take the money but in the same breath prove that our producers are a community of spineless men. Little Manju gives another beautiful performance in "Sant Dnyaneshwar" a Prabhat picture. ■1