FilmIndia (Jan-Nov 1942)

September 1942 PILMINDIA but not very many, are pleasantly mad; the others are dangerously crazy," writes Alexander Shaw, Ex-Producer to the Film Advisory Board in an open letter to an Indian friend. Strangely enough, Alex Shaw has burst out into speaking and writing on India and Indians only after safely reaching the shores of England. In India, he preferred to be as quiet as a mouse. Well, in calling Indians mad, Alex Shaw is right for the first time. Who else but a mad people could agree to employ an "expert" film producer like Shaw? And those colleagues of his on the Film Advisory Board who backed him up through sun and rain, they must be the "dangerously crazy" ones to do so knowing Alex Shaw at close quarters. But Alex Shaw or for that matter other Englishmen would do well to remember that our madness is born out of a 150-year old slavery. But one of these days, the Indian shall be perfectly sarfe and we hope the Englishman does not go mad that day. SIR RAHIMOO'S ANNUAL PRATTLE! "The total absence of educational and cultural films worth the name is a blot on our industry and I have no doubt that if proper guidance as to the type of films needed is forthcoming, the professional producers will not be found backward in putting their shoulders to the wheel, or perhaps a new medium scale industry for the production and exhibition of special films may come into being," said Sir Rahimtoola Chinoy, President of the Motion Picture Society at the annual general meeting of the Society recently held in Bombay. Imagine, Sir Rahimtoola of all people saying this on one of the very few ceremonial occasions when the old knight betrays his interest in our film industry. And yet oddly enough, he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Studios Ltd., with its Director-in-Charge Mr. Y. A. Fazalbhoy writing articles in and out of season about educational films and the great need of producing them. May we know why Sir Rahimtoola, who seems to be ready enough to notice "a blot on our industry", did not, during the last three years of his Chairmanship oi the National Studios Ltd., insist on his own studio executives producing educational and cultural films? Or did he, of all people, not get the necessary "proper guidance"? Sir Rahimtoola uttered a lot of other altruistic nonsense in his speech, half cf which, we suspect, he himself did not understand. When people like Sir Rahimtoola talk of educational films, the proposal sounds peculiarly uneducational. Really, Sir "Rahimoo", your forte seems to be racing. You look like a king among those horses and jockeys. Why, then, dabble in something as intelligent as an educational or a cultural film? We like you as the President of the Motion Picture Society because of your cylindrical gold turban. It looks better than the bush shirts of Jamshed Wadia or the dust bins worn by some other Parsi members. But you must not talk so much. Why doesn't someone give Sir "Rahimoo" a farewell lunch at the Taj? SHANTARAM RESIGNS We understand reliably that Mr. V. Shantaram, who was till now producing war shorts for the Film Advisory Board, has resigned frcm his post of the Film Producer to the Government of India. He is expected to hand over charge by the end of September and will probably plunge himself into his own production activities again immediately after. We cannot find what are the exact reasons that compelled Shantaram to take this sudden decision, but we have a hunch that Shantaram did not seem to like the present political tension existing between the people and the rulers. Shantaram has been essentially a people's man and those millions of fans who have made him what he is tcday expect him to issue a statement giving his reasons for his sudden withdrawal from the Film Advisory Beard, where he was doing valuable war propaganda work for the last eight months. A NEW FILM BOOK Mr. C. K. B. Naidu deserves our congratulations for his patience and perseverance in publishing "THE INDIAN SCREEN PICTORIAL", an useful "WHO IS WHO" of those people who matter in the Indian film industry. The publication seems to be almost complete as it contains thumb-nail life sketches of almost everyone from the smallest artiste to the biggest film producer. We have not had time to read through the whole volume, but the book seems to be an useful addition to our film literature, in as much as, it will also provide an useful guide to those who are fond of film personalities. To the film fans there is many a biography of their favourite star and if not for any other reason, for this one reason this book should be sold out. The book is available from Mr. C. K. B. Naidu, 212, Tenth Road, Khar, Bombay 21. SUSHILA RANI In the last issue we had announced our intention of giving a hundred autographed photos of Sushila Rani to those readers who would assemble the photo pieces and be the first hundred to submit them to us. The actual response, however, is terrific. We have already received thousands of replies and every day more are coming in. With an intention, therefore, to please the largest possible number of readers, the Directors of Filmindia Publications Ltd., have decided to issue 2000 autographed photos which will be sent to the two thousand readers who will be picked up at random from the general pool. We are making special arrangements to get these photographs ready and we hope to post them to the readers before the end of September. 13