FilmIndia (1940)

FILM INDIA September 1940 writer as a factor in film production. Here was a picture, produced by an unknown concern, technically poor and with hardly any star value, and yet it scored due to the sheer merit of its powerful story. Since then an increasing number of Maharashtrian authors like Vashikar, Bhaskar Rao, Atre, etc., have been closely associated with production companies like Prabhat, Huns and Navyug Chitrapat Ltd. Someone once made a tentative attempt to film Premchand's "Sevasadan" and later Bhavnani made a bash of his "Mill" but the great Hindusthani writer died without seeing one of his stories decently translated on the screen. Sagar added dignity to its activities by producing some of the stories of the renowned Gujerati scholar ar.d novelist, Mr. K. M. Munshi and Prakash who had been specializing in stunt pictures turned a new leaf by producing Ramanlal Desai's "Poornima". With Bombay Talkies productions have been associated the names of two Bengali writers, Niranjan Pal and Saradindu Bannerji. It is gratifying", no doubt, to see that now and then producers do wake up to discover creative writers and seek their co-operation — with a varying measure of success. But surely, in a country producing nearly 200 pictures every year, it is not enough that a dozen Rac'ha Rani has a voice as sweet as her face and she uses both with good effect in "Pia* mond Queen" a Wadia picture, writers should be occasionally 'patronized' and askec to write stories for the screen. If the producers ar< really serious about giving us better and more progressive pictures, they must secure the co-operation o original literary talent in the country. As matters stand, to-day, we can well understanc why creative writers — intelligent and sensitive people— hesitate to approach the studios. In most of the studio the procedure invariably is that after a poor write has daily sat waiting on a bench near the studio gati for a week or so, he is asked to come and relate th< story to the Seth and his half-a-dozen henchmen an relations. It is needless to mention that everyone o these is the wrong man to sit in judgment over a literary effort, not having even a nodding acquaintance with letters. A less intelligent and more uninspirin; audience is difficult to imagine. As the writer proceeds to read out or tell the story he is interrupted by silly remarks made by the Seth his third cousin and his son-in-law. So many — oftei mutually conflicting — suggestions are made for change in the story that, if carried out, hardly anything woulc remain of the original story. And once a writer who had based his story on thi struggles of an independent girl in a city was told "we don't mind the city but change the girl into a bo; and we will take the story." The inquisition does no end here. Back and forth goes the poor writer, like ; shuttlecock, from producer to his partner, from him tc the director, and then back to the producer. He has t( repeat the story which he himself has by now begui to hate. Then, if his stars are lucky, he is offered ; princely sum of a couple of hundred rupees! Can anyone imagine front rank writers submitting themselves to this sort of treatment? At one time the situation in Hollywood was no much different. Bernard Shaw was right when he refused to give his stories to ignorant producers who onh wanted to exploit his name and make money. Bu to-day things have changed. Each studio hes a galax: of first rate wr'tcrs on its staff, writers like Robert E Sherwood, Clifford Odetts, William Saroyan, etc. The} can not only wri'.c good stories themselves but the} also know where to get other good stories. That is whv even world-famed authors like Sinclair Lewis am Somerset Maugham can be persuaded to write for th< screen. We don't expoet our producers to suddenly turri intellectuals. But at least they should have on theii staff men who understand and appreciate literary value who possess a dramatic sense and who can really jud^e the merits of a story. The acquisition of a good original story, howeveij is only the first step in the production of a picturel The more important task is to picturize this story, tcj convert its literary flow into the continuity of screerj images — in short to construct a film scenario on its foundation.