FilmIndia (1940)

Ruined by the Glamour of the Screen ? R Heart-rending Story of Hundreds of young Boys find Girls Who Go Astray Dreams That End in Gutters By: Zahir B. Kureishi If I were shooting this article rather than writing it, I would start with a fade-in on the personal columns of a newspaper, for it is there where. I have often in the course of my investigations, come upon the most miserable wreckage of youth possible. More times than not the column reads: "Darling Hari, I am willing to forgive you. Please come back or inform us of your whereabouts. Your old mother heart-broken. Your suffering father." Now let me flash the pathetic story behind these 'distress' columns: Gorgeous! Glamorous! Glittering! That is how the world looks upon the panorama of love and romance that is unfolded in the murky darkness of a cinema hall. The beautiful, clean cut profile of the bewitching heroine, the tender love scenes, the dazzling array of picked beauties-all give to this magical art of make-believe a charm of irresistibility. But There is a sinister aspect of this 'glamorous' life that is hidden. It never sees the light of day. It Just grows in the dark and dies in isolation, .taking with it the pathos, the misery and the heart-break of many a tortured life. THE HERO — a la MAJNU It is this story that must be told. The tale of thousands and thousands of shattered hopes must be exposed. The flimsy glitter of the silver screen must be smashed and every bit be made to tell a story more pathetic, more grim and more dreadful than all those human dramas the film industry gives us. It usually starts at the end of a show with the youngster imagining himself to be madly in love with the heroine. He begins pining a la Majnu fashion; and then it suddenly dawns on him that he, too. can fondle her, enjoy her caresses, smash bad 'uns to the point of jaws. He looks into the mirror. It conspires with his thoughts. Seen through his own eyes his face appears beautiful. There is no difference between him and the hero. In fact, he suspects, he is a wee bit better. This handsome young man. M. D. Jaini of 309 Barrack Street. Meerut. a matriculate, seeks a job in any film studio. He is prepared to work as a clerk, peon, bearer, cooly. floorcleaner or any work — as long as the work is in a film-studio. This young man also hopes to come to Bombay one day. Will it be the Mecca of his dreams or will he also be ship-wrecked on the rocks of glamour? That is the beginning. "Bombay" is the Mecca of his dreams and to Bombay he comes determined to Otherwise known as 'Zabak,' Mr. Kureishi is the popular columnist of the "Sunday Standard" smash the gates and be flashed in huge neon lights. He does not come alone. His kind is legion. They come from far and near. From the heights of Srinagar, from the heat of Madras, from Delhi. Punjab and all the four corners of India. And it is not a Tie' always. SHE also comes. The glamour of paint, the sheen of silks, the smooth indolence of an easy life attract them.... and like moths to a burning flame they flock. The trek to Bombay is often a nightmare. Without money, friends and clothing they catch the first train to Bombay. They have not gone very far before they are detected by the ticket checkers and forced to alight. Nothing daunted they wait for the next train and thus one day they reach Bombay, the City of gold and glamour that has lured them from their homes. PILGRIMS OF THE SILVER SCREEN A youth that once came into my office with the appearance of a hunted convict confessed that he took six weeks to reach Bombay from Gujranwala in the Punjab. It was a harrowing story he told me through sobs and tears. With tears trickling down his cheeks, the boy, he could have hardly been out of his teens, relat 17