FilmIndia (1945)

April, 1945. FILMINDIA lying in tins unreleased— one reason for this is that some pictures unnecessarily run for several months unlike in any other country— the Indian producers should not hasten and give birth to motion picture sausages (as the Editor, 'filmindia' generally calls them). Any silly story is being launched into production and almost every picture has the same story. The story, which should be different every time, is the soul of the picture. Why not they take more time in creating a good story and screen play, atleast, until the theatre situation is improved? They should drive away the idea of quick money, the ultimate result of which is a poor picture and a failure at the box offices. It is high time for the producers to understand that nowadays no star can pull an audience. It is only the story and the way it is developed and emotional dialogues that bring audience to the theatre. No one cares whether there is Ashok Kumar, Motilal, Shobhana Samarth or Lila Chitnis in it. The money they are paying as salaries tn these is mere waste. POONA. Narayan Rao Mopuri. AH! THE CENSORS "It is indeed a pity that day by day we find the cinematic stuff presented on our Indian screen to be progressing the other way round. Is it not high time for our producers to open their eyes and try to improve the quality of their pictures before the call of time sounds a death knell and their funeral fails to extract any tears? Obviously, the predominating inflation in the country today is providing them with the never ending intoxication of huge profits. But then, the grievances of the cinegoers should, somehow or the other, be remedied and the searching eyes of the disappointed film-goer rest on the censors alone. Is it not possible that we have some more sensible men for this responsible job, who do not pass lewd and putrid pictures like "Papi'' and "Sanjog", etc., and save the innocent film-goer from being robbed of his hard-earned money?" SIMLA. Mansur Mojez. BAD PICKPOCKETS "It is a disgrace to the word Art, if we call Indian pictures artistic. And we will only prove the bankruptcy of our own brain, if we do so. When Mr. Beverley Nichols says that in India artists have turned their back upon life, our journalists rush at him to stifle his outspoken cry which is in my opinion a very agonizing truth. Or to put it into Mary Corelli's words "Truth is always precisely what people refuse to believe". As far as cinematic art is concerned Indian artists have not only turned their back upon life but have never attempted to understand it better; hence their outlook on life is very narrow and insular. What they portray, is the outcome of their escaping attitude towards life and what they depict is quite devoid of art. Even in pickpocketing, we find more subtle art than in our Indian pictures." NAGPUR. M. A. K. Jawaid. OLD ISSUES "To be frank with you I read your 'filmindia', my beloved magazine, from cover to cover entirely at the expense of my friend. Really, I envy your inimitable style of writing and your polished impartial criticism— God forbid, if you die then which is the next best magazine you recommend me to read." MADRAS. K. Jameel Ahmed JUDGMENT? "Do you believe in the judgment of the Bengal Film Journalists' Association who have been distributing awards every year? Being the head of the film critics of the country, why can't you organise a 'Bombay Film Journalists' Association' to evaluate the pictures released here every year?" BOMBAY. M. P. Shanbhag. A PICTURE WITH A PURPOSE ! A STOR Y WITH A MOTIVE ! A NATION WITH A RESOLVE ! 1565 in "40 CRORES 99 STORY : PANDIT INDRA A CHANDRA ART PRODUCTION Cast : MUSIC . GOBINDRAM DIRECTION : NANABHAI BHATT NIRMALA * YAKUB * ARUN AGA * GOPE * SHANTARIN SUNETRA * GULAB and many other s, FOR PARTICULARS APPLY: Jamnadas Chandu & Company, 14, KISON MAHAL, TRIBHUVAN ROAD. BOMBAY 4. Ot Chandra Art Productions, SHANTI KUNJA. DADAR. BOMBAY. 33