Filmindia (1941)

PebruaiTj 1941 PILMINDIA cent months, a considerable part of the national resources is being drained away through' carelessness, inefficiency, muddle and plain tomfoolery. ONCE AGAIN, THEREFORE, WE SAY "DAM THIS WASTE! STOP THE LEAKS AND WHERE NECESSARY, SACK THE DUFFERS.'' Writing pointedly about films 'Jvhn BulV further states: "That our official films for home propaganda have been almost a total loss because the Ministry of Information has never made up its mind what it wants to "put over." "That our 'documentaHes' are too late to be good, and reach no more than a third of the kinemas even then. "That the bulk of our film propaganda effort in foreign countries has been left in the hands of British Press Attaches, who have, with rare exceptions submitted no reports whatever, and don't apparently, attach the slightest importance to pushing this particular and important brand of British goods in the foreign market. "WE CONCLUDE THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ALL THE TIME AND MONEY SPENT ON BRITISH PROPAGANDA FILMS HAS BEEN A DEAD LOSS." ARE THEY QUALIFIED If that is the state of affairs in England, what better things can one expect in India seeing the way things are being done? I for one would never question the personal sincerity of the individuals who are in charge of the Film Advisory Board. This is not the time to doubt anybody's sincerity. Everyone is serious with the one single aim that the war must be won. But the question that suggests itself is: Are the men at the top qualified for these jobs? In this connection the "Spectator" of London, ten months after the outbreak of the war, writes as follows: "Officials who are efficient enough in the humdrum and day-to-day administration of an office have been drafted to posts needing an imaginative and creative ability outside their range. Some of these men are self-complacent, and unable to ad just themselves to the urgencies of war conditions; others so far misjudge their own intrinsic importance that they are unable to visualize themselves as cogwheels rather than as a whole machine. Between them they have effectively prevented "outsiders" that is, the experts called in to deal with the planning of film propaganda— from getting on with the job. Fortified by the mystical properties of civil service procedure, by magic phrases referring to "established branches" and "Treasury authority", they have rendered sterile most of the efforts to plan our film propaganda on a far-reach'ing and comprehensive scale. Against their pomposity, and their dexterity in the manipulation of the red-tape tradition, the experts from outside have found themselves impotent." This is how the officials at the head of affairs in England inspite of their sincerity have bungled things. If this is the case in England, what guarantee have we in India, with the present officials in charge, that the money — the tax-payers' money — now being spent and intended to be spent during the year — will be fully utilized for winning the war? A SUMMARY OF SUGGESTIONS To summarise in short the foregoing criticism I arrive at the following conclusions: (1) That even after suffering the method of nomination I consider that the personnel of the Board is incompetent to sit in judgment over the propaganda films. It is, therefore, necessary that a new personnel should be appointed forthwith. (2) That the attendances at the meetings so far should provide an index to the Government of the sincerity and the active interest taken by several members and those who have chosen to remain absent through several meetings continuously should be asked to resign. This is not the time for accommodating slackers. We want men who will act and act furiously to keep pace with the emergency. (3) That the present selection of subjects for production is entirely orthodox and suggestions should be invited from the public or from different institutions with regard to the films that would contribute to the war effort. (4) That a definite . declaration should be made by the Government that the appointment of Mr. Alexander Shaw will not be continued after the expiry of one year and that if the Department will still continue its activities the post will be given to a qualified Indian. (5) That the present dictatorial method of doing things over and above the heads of the members of the Board should be forthwith discontinued and the merely advisory capacity in which the members are at present should be changed and greater responsibility should be given to them in view of the vital nature of their work. (6) That if the post of the Office Manager at present occupied by Mr. Shivdasani is not a permanent fixture, steps should be taken to secure the services of a more qualified person for the job. (7) That the future plans of the Board especially with regard to the production programme involving an expenditure of public money should be published in advance for the benefit of the tax-payers and criticisms invited thereon. (8) That a special study should be made of the causes of the failure of such activities in England and steps should be taken to prevent the recurrence of the same results in our country. (9) That the exact position with regard to the guarantee the British Ministry of Information about their taking up twenty films from the Film Advisory Board should be defined in at least one particular aspect viz. after the departure of Mr. Alexander Shaw from India. Unless the Board is radically overhauled in a truly democratic spirit and as suggested above, I am afraid that all the activities of the Board will prove barren and result in a dead loss just as similar efforts of the Film Publicity Department of the Indian Railway Board sometime ago and recent activities of the British Ministry of Information have done. 21