Filmindia (1941)

December, 1941 FILMINDIA Of course, there are Countries In the world where interests of a nation identify with those of a Government but where an alien power rules a country, this not only rarely happens but their interests are often found widely divergent. India certainly presents such a picture where one's gain is often another's loss and vice versa. Mr. Shantaram's absorption, therefore in the Film Advisory Board is a definite loss to the Indian Nation and the Indian Film Industry — a loss which Mr. Shantaram alone can repair! SURE LOSS. . . SUPPOSED GAINS! No wonder, then, that Mr. Shantaram's exit from Prabhat and his subsequent joining the Film Advisory Board are causing more bewilderment in the public mind than any jubilation over it. For the time being, India's greatest director is lost to the film industry of India. Though it is said that he will be allowed to attend to the Prabhat Studio work, he will be able to do practically nothing. This is a sure loss to the nation and the industry which is deprived of his pictures that were to come. What a poor consolation to those of his thousands of admirers who expected better and bigger screen hits of social and national value from the maker of "ADMI" and "PADOSI" to know that henceforward Mr. Shantaram will be producing short war-propaganda films whose gains are confined to the world of supposition. JUST IMAOmE! Imagine for a moment that if only two pictures, 'ADMI" and "PADOSI", would not have been produced, what a vacuum they would have left In the Film Industry of India. In "PADOSI", Mr. Shantaram touched the core of the Hindu-Muslim problem amidst emotional outbursts and cravings of the human heart: his choice of Muslim Mazhar Khan as the Hindu neighbour and Hindu Jagirdar as the Muslim neighbour gave that sure psychological touch which will go a long way to sow the seed of understanding and tolerance. As lor "ADMI", Mr. Shantaram himself says:— "I remembered to have been told by somebody that my film "Life's For Living" actually saved the life of a certain young man who was about to end his frustrated life by suicide What are after all a few coins in comparison to a human life." I wonder what Mr. Shantaram would say when his war propaganda films succeed in sending scores of young Indians to the war front as a mere cannonfodder and that too against the expressed wishes of the entire nationalist India! AN AWFUL BLUNDER? I do not for a moment suggest that the Nazi menace is imaginary. It is real and every day it seems to be drawing nearer and nearer. Personally, I stand for unstinted cooperation between the Indian Nation and the Indian Government in this hoiu of grave emergency. I also believe that the Film Industry can best serve the interests of war -propaganda and there is no dearth of capable men. Who can deny that Naseem's beauty and grace, Mazhar Khan's characterisation, Chandra Mohan's diction and Khurshid's nightingale voice — all these under the magic touch of Mr. Shantaram — can turn the Indian masses war-crazy? But the question arises: What is India going to get in return for this effort and sacrifice? This timely and immensely important question has been ignored, evaded, dodged, cajoled and even wooed but never answered in the right spirit. This apathy explains why, at this critical juncture, India cuts a sorry figure of a house divided whose members instead of devising ways and means to combat an impending danger, seem to be further losing confidence in one another. The Indian National Congress is openly non-cooperating with the Government. The Muslim League is bitter against it. Only a few men here and there are seriously cooperating with the Government and they claim a longer chain of titles after their names rather than their actual following in the country. Under the circumstances, one may ask Mr. Shantaram: What price F.A.B. Job? And thousands of his admirers like myself may be perturbed by another question: Has Shantaram blundered? For India never needed him so badly as at present, when she is socially and politically in a state of muddle, her social institutions in a state of flux and her people heading towards disaster as a result of a wrong outlook overwhelmed with the evil passions of hatred, strife, cruelty and domination.