Filmindia (1941)

FILMINDI A May 1941 the other hand, the conscience of the "Whites" can't be aroused sx) easily. They will let it rest by banning the picture. You forget that we are still slaves. The day we become a free nation, it is a matter of a few hours to remedy all such grievances. And the white man then, being essentially a merchant, will invite us to share at his dining table. But between then and now there is a big gulf which can only be bridged by the dead bodies of Indian patriots. All that you can do is to keep your body ready tv help to fill the gulf. Gilbert T. Christy (Coimbatore) On the technical side of the film industry in India, who is the best man in the country? Don't you think Shantaram takes the place of honour? No. Shantaram is the second best. I vmuld consider Nitin Bose of New Theatres as the best in the country. K. M. Usman Data (Bhatkal) What is the mother tongue of Miss Madhuri? Miss Madhuri is an Anglo-Indian girl, her first cry therefore was in English. But she has learnt Hindusthani pretty well now. C. p. Verma (Chopra) Who is your most intimate friend among the directors of India? Devaki Bose. In case, you are sent to jail, who will be the next editor of "filmindia"? An old friend of yours, K. Ahmad Abbas. Is Prabha, a Kayastha girl? Who cares, so long as she is a oirl and a charming one. S. Venkateswara Rao (Vizagapatam) How did you like your South Indian tour? Excellent. The people I met were good to me and they didn't bother about finding out whether I really deserved or not the warm welcome they gave. They are good, trusting folks who took me at my face value. But since my depatrture from Madras many others, who had not met me, have found in me several questionable qualities such as ingratitude, impulsiveness, rashness etc., — incidentally, all human weaknesses. My only consolation is that South India now knows me better through the friends and the foes. My feeling however about those who are using columns and columns in abusing me, is that they are wasting time. It is now too late to try and reform me. Is there any difference between the studios in the South and the North? None in their structure but a lot in their purpose. Out in the South, though they have well equipped studios, they don't produce good pictures generally. The story is different in the North. How do you like South Indian film technique? Quite good as the South Indian film technique but not much as film technique [barring "Sumangali" which tells a different story and the solitary one). It is high time that Reddy, Ramnath and Sekar should open a school to teach others. The local pavement critics, instead of shouting at me and wasting time in insisting on Tamil being a sweet language, should shout louder about the improvement of the technique in their films and compel the producers to do something about it. Critics should remember that when dogs bark at dogs, the crowds are entertained and dogs don't improve. If the critics in the South have half the guts I have, they will first put their own house in order. The producers in the South, though not enterprising, are gentle folks in comparison with the guys I have to deal with in Bxymbay. I invite the best screaming quill-driver of the South to Bombay and ask him to make an impression. That buddy will soon realise that the game is different here and can't be played with mere "Iddli and Dossa." People are known by the results they achieve. Bibbo gives a kitchen glimpse in "Akela" a social picture of Paramount. 18