Filmindia (1941)

November 1941 FILMINDIA HER FUTURE DRESS SHOP She loves her work but is not foolish enough to believe she will always be a famous star. She knows that after several years, stars lose their popularity and give place to newer stars. Rose is still very young and the day when she will have to leave the films is far ahead, but she has planned already what she will do with the rest of her life. She has always longed to own a dress shop and sell fashionable clothes for Indian ladies. Rose says "When I open my dress shop I will have mannequin shows at the exclusive hotels like Pompadour has — only much better. I'm crazy about clothes and I think the Indian sari is the most beautiful of all dresses. Look at these earrings I'm wearing. You won't find copies of them anywhere in Bombay because I have them made specially for me. These I've got on are made of buttons fastened to cUps. I ransack the shops in Bombay in order to find original articles of clothing and quaint jewellery." HER AMAZON DAUGHTER "Tell me about your children Miss Musleah" I asked next, and Rose said "Perhaps I should warn you that once you get me on to that subject you won't find it easy to stop me. My children are more like sisters to me. Indeed my eldest girl Marjorie is as tall as 1 am. We tease her by calling her 'our Amazon' because she is so tall and sturdy. She wants to be an artist and interior decorator when she's grown up and my younger girl Cynthia who is eleven wants to be a lawyer. I have taught them how to dance and they dance better than many of the so-called ballroom dancing experts in Bombay. When I come home from work in the evenings I turn on my radiogram and I dance with my daughters. I'm never too tired to dance because I find dancing a relaxation. Even though this sounds like bragging I must She was embarrassed by the crowds of young men who flocked round to see what a film star looked like in a bathing costume. Mr. Mahomed Ehsan, Mg. Director, Taj Mahal Pictures, Ltd. tell you that both my children are exceedingly bright at their lessons and have very artistic temperaments." At this point our interview was interrupted by Rose's butler who brought in a tray of deliciously cool drinks and this reminded me to ask Rose if she was domesticated. "Domesticated?" She hooted, "Why I loathe housework. Mind you, I like staying at home in preference to gadding about but I certainly don't like house-keeping." "Then what else do you do at home besides dancing with your daughters" I asked. "I he in bed and read books by my favourite author Somerset Maugham." she replied. "Look in my book-case and you'll see my large collection of his books." "Don't you have any hobbies?" "Well", Rose replied, "I don't know if you'd call it a hobby exactly, but I collect various kinds of perfumes. There in that book case you'll see my collection. I use a new perfume for each of my many moods. "Oh, so you're a moody person" I said. "Well," said Rose "if I say I'm moody, you'll think I'm claiming to be temperamental because great actresses are supposed to be temperamental." FELL OFF HER BIKE Of course I assured her that she was an important enough young lady to throw fits of temperament whenever she wanted. Actually, once Rose is at home she forgets to be a star and becomes just a simple young girl. She is not fond of violent exercise but she did try cycling once, only she fell ofl her bike and her daughters laughed so much at her, she thought she'd better give it up in case they lost all respect for their mother. She also tried swimming at the Cricket Club but she was embarrassed by the crowds of young men who flocked round to see what a film star looked like in a bathing costume. She is always being besieged by her college boy fans. When she is out in public she is often recognised by them, but instead of calling out to her by her name they call out the names of all the films she has acted in. She thinks this is quaint. "Once" she says "I was making a film in Benares and I was supposed to be a sweeper woman. We were on the river banks and nearby was a large impressive looking building. The director asked me, in this particular scene that T was, to sweep the steps of the build ng. The cameras were working and I was busily sweeping the steps when I heard loud derisive laughter above me and male voices told me just where to sweep. To my horror I discovered that I was sweeping the steps of a boy's college, but somehow I got through the scene. If you've ever acted as a sweeper woman with an audience of convulsed college boys shrieking at you, you'll know how I felt." 55