FilmIndia (Jan-Nov 1942)

ivember 1942 FILMINDIA This man also would have gone to the unknown ave, seeing that so many coming from Kathiawar ery day are lost in the sweep ng crowds of the city. But Ambalal J. Patel, the Central Camera chief, is t the type who could be easily stopped once he makes his mind to do something new. Ambalal, as a youngster, began climbing from the st of a door-keeper at a small wayside cinema in ijerat. From that little doorway, he watched the wie nickers and started planning his own career. : burned to know the secrets of film-making and came wn to Bombay with the proverbial bedding to lay wn his tired bones at the end of the day. Yes, in the beginning he got mighty tired knockl round the city for a billet till he landed himself the Sagar Film Co. as a cameraman. Constantly progressive, Ambalal was not expected be sticking himself behind a camera all his normal e. He got out to organise the Central Camera Comny, a firm that has truly become the pivot of many pioneering project in the field of educational and Itural films. With the help of the local provincial government, nbalal has got over 600 portable projectors busy all er the countryside showing educational features to r villagers and bringing into their life more undernding and sunshine. Not content with this, a couple of months back, he •ew his weight with Bruce Newberry of the Indian wietone Newsreel, our first newsreel company, and s actually taken up the execution of bringing home > various news from far and near and showing it on ; screen. Ambalal has divided the country into six news ltres and at each of these places he has a well trainshooting unit always ready to go into rapid action bring home the news — .be it a lecture of a rebel der or a sermon of a red-tape official. Bringing home the news on celluloid is not as easy publishing a daily paper, where news keeps pour! in whether you like it or not. The movie newsn needs more tact and enterprise and incidentally re imagination to capture the news and present it the most acceptable form. Under Ambalal's perlal supervision, his different units work with an effincy that has already surprised many. Yes. Amba'.al Patel is leading a crowded life — king money all the time but when he is not doing l he is busy producing newsreels or educational films lich, whether one admits or not, will prove immensely leficial to the country in general. E SPORTING EXHIBITOR That you can also make money in many ether ways n by producing films and newsreels, was proved the er day by Mr. S. G. Bhopatkar and his irresistible ingest son H. S. Bhopatkar of Bhopatkar Theatres, ien they managed to land Rs. 41,000/ and odd, a h of the treble pool collection, at the Poona Races. it Bhopatkar and his son are primarily exhibitors 1 av ng several cinemas in Bombay under their control, but they lake such an active interest in the Sport of Kings, that they have turned the turf into a lucrative showhouse. During the last Bombay Racing Season, the Bhopatkars landed the Treble Pool six times and the Double Pool eleven times. That is some record of profitn aking in rac ng. Now, Bhopatkar has decided to tell his secret of success in racing and he is busy writing a book about how he takes the big pools away so many times. I am sure it will be an interesting book to all and a profitable one to many. FAMOUS CINE LABORATORY We have got the news that Mr. Shiraz Ali Hakim, the enterprising pioprietor of Famous Cine Laboratory. Bombay, has acquired a huge plot of land at Mahalaxmi in Bombay to construct an uptodate and modern film laboratory. This new laboratory will be unique of its type in the country, and will have equipment for processing 35 m.m. ai:d 16 m m. films, useful both to the amateurs and to the professionals. Sadhona Bose, charming as ever, comes again on the screen in "Pa~gam" a social picture of Amar Productions directed by Mr. Surendra Desai. 17