Filmindia (1941)

t^T. Dahukh Pancholi For years, the jovial, happy-golucky Punjabis had been trying to put Punjab on the film map of India. We still remember names like Hari Ram Setty, R. Shorey, J. K. Nanda, Dinanath Talwar, Imtiaz Ali Taj etc., — one and all — they came and went, shouted for a while and having done nothing substantial were soon forgotten. Film magnates of Bombay and Calcutta liked the Punjabis to fail, for, in the failure of the Punjabis lay the hope of a greater success for them. No one, except perhaps the journalists who have no axe of profits to grind, in these two principal centres of production wanted the Punjabis to succeed. By nature, the Punjabis are too luxury-lined and easy-going to become successful in an industry that demands constant labour, sweat and toil. Though officially the shop of Punjabi's film industry was closed years ago, several spasmodic attempts were made to revive the industry at least on a provincial basis. All these attempts failed. THIS MAN OF THREE PROVINCES And then came Dalsukh M. Pancholi, with his cradle in Gujrath, his school in Sind and his career in the Punjab. The characteristic qualities of the different provinces that have influenced the life of this ' man fiombined to give hiin an ^d ^^Khazanchi" Saues The Exhibition Trade ! Dalsukh Pancholi-Premier Producer of Punjab Director Moti Gidwani's Triumph ! vantage over the local pseudo-industrialists of the Punjab. Dalsukh went about his work quietly and unassumingly and produced "Gul Bakavali" in the Punjabi language. The success of the first picture gave him every hope of reviving Punjab's dead film industry. Taking a popular folk-lore tale, he produced "Yamla Jat", which picture spread like a prairie fire for weeks and weeks at every station in the Punjab. "Yamla Jat" brought in huge profits giving Dalsukh a status and confidence so essential for a new enterprising producer. Soon "Khazanchi", India's miracle-money-maker was on the anvil under the able direction of Mr. Moti B. Gidwanl. "KHAZANCHI ' TEACHES With "Khazanchi", Punjab came into its own. Punjab which was so far identified only with the picturesque costume of its Premier Sir Sikandar Hyat Khan has now given its first lesson in box-office success to the other production centres. The success of "Khazanchi" Is hailed with open arms everywhere. Theatres all over the country, with bankruptcy staring them in the face, have once again become busy beehives of showmanship. People come singing on cycles and in motor cars the songs of "Khazanchi". Some have seen the picture as many as thirty times. It is a magic success. Within 25 weeks Bombay alone collected over Rs. 1,50,000; Poona added another Rs. 1,00,000 and Ahmedabad threatens to collect still another Rs. 1,25,000. And this is the unfinished tale of three stations only in the midst of a thousand other theatres. In the mind of every otner producer, but Dalsukh, a research laboratory has been opened wherein feverish attempts are being maae to analyse the elernents Qf "Khaz anchi's" marvellous success. They all bow down before the success but are baffled at the cause. They are trying to develop a vision to find out the secret. In the meanwhile "Khazanchi"* goes from one conquest to another. Town after town is won after the fashion of: "I came, I saw and I conquered" — That is "Khazanchi". India's mightiest box-office hit of 1941. MOTI GIDWANl And can we forget Director Moti B. Gidwani? It seems, he was born to make history, being associated with some milestones of the Indian film industry. As a co-director of "Alam Ara", the first Indian talkie, as the director of "Kisan Kanya", India's first picture in colour, as the director of "Yamla Jat," ' Punjab's first mighty box-office hit and now as the director of "Khazanchi", Moti Gidwani himself becomes a glorious milestone in the history of film production in India and Moti is yet only 37. Dalsukh and Moti have already forgotten "Khazanchi". They have recently produced "Chowdhary" in Punjabi and have gone half way through "Khan Daan" in Hindusthani. We wish them both luck, for, on them depends the future of Pun^ jab's Qwn film industry. 73