FilmIndia (1940)

FILMINDIA November. 1940 its glory. Surekha, Art is divine. Its primary expression is beauty. And with beauty like yours it is easier to kindle the flame of happiness in every human heart. You must not be so selfish. Beauty like yours is timeless. It belongs to everyone. If a smile of yours strikes a spark of divinity in a suffering heart, would you deny it this only comfort? Imagine, the tired worker of the day, aching in body and mind, spending his hard-earned money for a picture show! What else does he want but the soothing balm of divine beauty? Would you as a noble woman deny him that? Comfort to that aching soul is as necessary as the milk from the loving breasts for your crying child. Be a great mother, Surekha, to bring greater happiness into this world. Why did God make other women so ugly and you so beautiful? He had a divine purpose, Surekha. And I feel that I am chosen to remind you of your mission in life. Come, say yes, Surekha. Don't worry I'll look after you." It was too much for the poor girl — this soothingi persuasive sweet voice relentlessly pursuing its object. Her fingers slowly regained their strength. The woman in Surekha steeled up and those tiny delicate fingers soon tightened and gripped those of Bapurao. "Bapurao, I don't know what I am doing, but if my husband agrees, I am at your service" said she witn a relief. "Oh, he will agree. Leave that to me, Surekha" assured Bapurao Kapalik. The die was cast. * * * * Surekha now became Surekha Devi, the film star. She no longer lived in that chawl of old. She was now in a flat of her own at Shiva ji Park. Dadar. She had also a tiny car of her own, bought by Bapurao Kapalik on instalments. Sudhir Patankar was no longer in the Municipal service. His eighty rupees looked so insignificant in comparison with the the fifteen hundred his wife earned every month. Besides, he could not go to his old work where his friends tried to be funny and accused him of prostituting his wife. The fools didn't realize that Surekha was serving art for art's sake. He had no patience with them nor with his old parents and relatives who still kept on clamouring though almost every newspaper in the country hailed the birth of a new dynamic film personality. Every one who didn't know him seemed pleased with Surekha's choice of profession but his friends. Sudhir couldn't understand the stupidity of these people. So he left them alone and identified himself completely with the career of his wife. He began collecting the numerous newspaper clippings with his wife's photographs and publicity notices. He pasted them neatly in a fine scrap-book and often showed them proudly to Bapurao Kapalik and other new friends which his wife's beautiful face made for him. Surekha and Sudhir hadn't known what was to be done with the first fifteen hundred when they had received it. It had seemed such a big amount to earn in a single month— nearly twenty times Sudhir's monthly capacity of earning. But they had managed to spend it, with the expert advice of Bapurao Kapalik, on furniture, saris, clothes, toys, motor car; petrol, and numerous other odds and ends. Things they had never dreamed of or even known had suddenly become stern necessities of life. Now those fifteen hundred a month were well accounted for. * * * * Only one thing Sudhir didn't seem to like and that was Surekha's returning home late in the night. But Ah, this charming seduction is Radha Rani, a Wadia star in "Manthan" a picture one should not miss at least for her. 38