FilmIndia (1940)

FILMINDI A August 1940 blication of my last article on "The Only Three Great Directors of India!" are fully representative of this widespread sect. Among these piles of abusive epistles, angry denunciations and indignant protests, there was one suggestion, the unconscious humour of which struck me as rather too cute. I was asked to write an article on "Devaki Kumar Bose Made Easy." Yes, he does need a lot of explaining to be intelligible to the plain and simple folks! WHAT I THINK OF HIM Speaking strictly for myself, I would like to briefly put on record my evaluation of Devaki Bose as a director. Here it goes. I was one of the few people, who thought "Seeta"' to be superb. I would still place it among the six best Indian films ever produced. '•Puran Bhakt" I did not like so much though, for that time, it was a great advance on the general technique of pictures. To Devaki Bore goes the credit of rescuing the Indian film from the crudities prevalent at that time. Being a man of education and aesthetic taste he considerably helped the growing refinement of the Indian films. His ability to interpret the legends of "Puran Bhakt'', "Seeta" and "Meera" in a soaring manner bordered on sheer genius. But — and here comes the snag — while his flair (call it genius) for recreating the atmosphere of faded splendour and spiritual grandeur has remained with him, his technical skill as a motion picture director has not matured with the passage of time. I dare to assert that, technically, "Vidyapati" was not a wee bit of improvement upon "Seeta", which, of course, does not bring down Devaki Bose to the level of the average Indian director who will take another twenty-five years to make a picture half as good as "Seeta." But surely a man whose technical skill remained statu* for five years cannot be classed among the topmost three. If Devaki Bose fails, it is by his o>'ii standards. I would not waste my time and the pages of "Film india" on a third rate director. If I deplore his present stagnation it is because of what he might have been, if only he had cared to study and follow the progressive trends in nimcrali. instead of continuing to exploit the reputation he had once made for himself. COMEDY OR HOODOO HOCUS Let me give but one example of tlie antiquated notions of dramatic construction still followed by Devaki Bose. Even the greatest admirer of Devaki Bose will admit that comedy is his weak point, that every time he wants to put a humorous situation in his picture it degenerates into the crudest banal episode. But more important to watch, is how like the old stage playwrights, Devaki Bose clumsily introduces the comedy element in his pictures, something brought in from without instead of it being inherent and arising from within the theme pattern. A gem of a picture like "Seeta" was vulgarized at places by the presence of the two slapstick comedians, Mota and Du HEAR THE MELODIOUS SONGS OF WAHIDANBAI (Agra) T. M. 8372 "JO TUMSEDUR RAHETAHE " and "BALAMA CHUNDARA NA LAYO" Sitara Begum (Cawnpore) D. A. 6059 ''Ari ka Karun Shingar" and "Are Rama Chhaye Balam Pardesh" HEAR FILM SONGS of PRABHAT'S "SANT DNYANESHWAR" and HINDUSTAN'S " SAUBHAGYA" It I M YOUHG IHP1A\ August '40 RELEASE Sitara and Master Krishna D. A. 6056 'Savanki Badali Bankar" and 'Savanki Badariya Chai" For Particulars and Catalogues see our Authorised Dealers or write to: THE NATIONAL GRAMOPHONE RECORD MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. 110, MEDOWS STREET, FORT, BOMBAY # WAD ALa'^BOM BAY. ) Ul*gramti "TANSEN" Talaphon* No. 88181 56