FilmIndia (1940)

March 1940 FILM INDIA Hall, he is often sent to the Lunatic Aslyum. The other Americans, jolly fellows that they are, merely think it funny that a man could be such a "mug" to be caught that way. No wonder America is a land of every freedom. * * * The pimp — the "gentleman" who trades in human flesh and provides pastures for human passions— is an institution as old as the human race. Different countries have different types with different technique. But the Pari . sian pimp has "traditions" which other members of this international brotherhood can hardly equal. To qucte one instance: A Rangoon engineer was "sightseeing" with his wife near the Opera House at Paris. As the man was looking more at 'others' and less at his wife, the pimp perceived the inner desire of the engineer. Very soon the wife was left at, the hotel and Monsieur Pimp and the Engineer arrived at a bathing salon at Montmartre. To the unpractised imagination of the thoroughly respectable engineer a sight which he will never forget in a life time was unfolded before his eyes. Over 50 beautiful girls, as nature made them originally, were eporting in a beautifully constructed swimming bath and with the helpful illusion created by multicoloured lights, the engineer soon thought that h? was in a paradise. His head was soon in a whirl having never before seen so much shapely material undraped. Why had he not come to Paris before why couldn't we have something like this in India— why did he at all marry — Gee! is this heaven — questions like these pushed one another out of his frozen senses. He decided to take a plunge and undressed himself. Monsieur Pimp offered his help to hold the clothes. Mr. Engineer thought Monsieur to be an awfully obliging fellow. The Engineer entered the water and for an hour lost himself — the only man amongst fifty damsels. His dark skin became popular in the midst of white skinned beauties. The girls crowded round him and soon acquired a thirst which swimming with a stranger gives inevitably. Cur engineer volunteered to treat all. He was rich. He was a civil engineer earning 2,000 a month. And he had money in his pocket. But where was the pccket. Monsieur Pimp had obliged too well. He had taken the clothes away with a precious gold watch and £120 in notes. Mr. Engineer had to go to the hotel in a taxi wrapped in a big bath towel — call tho wife out; — pay the taxi — pay for the towel — pay for those drinks etc. He left Paris the next day. * * * The American missionaries who come to India on their mission of mercy to give "relief" to the suffering humanity by converting them to Christianity would perhaps be surprised to know how some sexstarved female members of their missions behave on beard the ship after a vacation at home. As a rule these women missionaries are ugly and deformed. But the compulsory long standing training of hypocritical sex-repression gives them brawn and breadth to look imposing. Some cf them I first noticed standing unconcernedly on the upper deck but watching with affectionate jealousy the attractive figures of male bathers in the ship's swimming pool. They looked devout at the weekly masses held in the ship s card room. But in the nights, one could find them in desolate corners with stray men kissing for dear life. During the day they talked religicn but after dusk they pursued other missions too religiously. For every bad word they heard on the ship, they crossed. To them sin was in speaking, not in acting. No young man could pass them without being scrutinized very thoroughly. Sex-repression had given the/i an X-ray vision of sizing up men. And one day. they donned the swimming costumes, and people asked; "Could women be so ugly?". Amen! "Did you leave that much of Ganga Din at least?" asks George Stevens, the producer, "Oh, sure.that much is left, don't worry!" said Baburao Patel. 17