FilmIndia (Jan-Jul 1943)

January 1943 FILMINDIA There are some happy exceptions but they only contribute to prove the rule. The institution of marriage in India is an unhappy combination of ancient, mediaeval and modern notions and love which is an honest emotion dies a pitiable death when it enters the portals of this institution. Love requires a constantly beating and fluttering heart to fan the divine flame. In the cold, lethal chambers of matrimony, made colder still by social and economic conditions in the country, the flame of love dies without even a struggle. What you consider to be love between a married couple is merely an affectionate habit acquired together under common circumstances. Hypocritical human nature saves its face and calls it love to keep up appearances. At best, it is a love for home-making — a primitive desire in the average human being. But the divine love which thrills the heart and shakes its walls at the sight of the beloved, is only experienced prior to the conventional matrimony. After marriage, it tastes like ashes in the mouth, and if anyone tells you that a certain married couple is happy in love, remember that the partners of that wedlock love themselves more than each other, and, thus, silently conspire to maintain appearances. For, after all done and said~, marriage is a mutual bondage that does not permit a free expression to love, and love between slaves is no love at all. Under these circumstances my advice is: don't marry if you can help it. The social and economic conditions in the country do not contribute to make a marriage happy nor does the nation require any addition to the population. However, if you can't help it, marry the girl you love as there would be a better chance to both the parties in this marriage to survive at least on the memories of pre-marital love. In case of the other alternative, namely, loving the girl after the marriage, all that a man may acquire is merely the love of a warm bed from a dutiful and affectionate wife. But that is not the love about which poets have sung through centuries. KR. RAJENDRA SINGH (Agra) How is it our film companies have not been affected by petrol-rationing? I am afraid they have been and rather badly. Now-a-days I do not see the directors' and the producers' cars stranded on lonely hill-tops, with beautiful occupants. S. MOHANLAL (Belgaum) Do you think that Motilal is India's best, most popular and highest paid actor? No. M. MADHAVA MURTHY (Anantapur) Why do so many of our male actors assume a pale face and a retiring disposition in the presence of sweet society girls? A film actor is usually a rough-and-tumble man who has to do many a thing for a living. His expression in society is therefore a plea to society to accept him as one of them. That expression seems to say: "Though a film actor I am not as bad as you imagine." NARENDRA SINGH (Ajmer) After National, what is Director Mehboob doing? Mehboob has become a producer now and has started a company called Mehboob Productions. His maiden production under this banner will be 'Najma' a Muslim social story. HARD-EARNED MONEY One way to spend your hardearned money wisely is to see pictures reviewed in "filmindia". You know in advance what you are going to see. . . In "Raja" the maiden production of Purnima Pictures, Protima Das Gupta works well under the handling of Kishore Sahu, the director. 31