FilmIndia (1945)

October, 1D45. FILMINDI A That is Masud Parvez, in the Mexican style, in "Ghulami" a picture of Shalimar. As is expected, Anup leads a hard life with the rent in arrears and with the daily bread in jeopardy. After the usual sequences, the usual filmic coincidence takes him to Rajendra for a job without knowing that Rajendra is Gopa's brother. Anup is asked to write a speech for Rajendra to read. The speech makes a good impression and gives Rajendra an ambition to acquire intellectual recognition. In between Gopa and Anup cross swords and Anup is brought back to his old job after he has left it once. A novel written by Anup is published in the name of Rajendra without Anup knowing anything about it for a time. Gopa is attracted towards Anup and though we are not allowed to say it loudly that they were in love, as this aspect is very politely treated in the picture, Anup and Gopa must be accepted as in love with each other. Now follow the usual routine meetings of the workers which Gopa and Anup attend and dole out the usua.1 idealistic talk and sympathy. These meetings are very poorly portrayed on the screen and make a poor impression. The next step is the usual labour trouble which as usual is sabotaged by Rajendra, the capitalist, with the help of money and sticks. The climax is soon reached in which Gopa has to choose between love and ideals on one side and comfort and convention on the other. She soon follows Anup, leaving her wealthy world behind and one won ders where they ultimately go. There must be some place where these intellectual idealists are hoarded and kept for posterity. Or do they go to meet the spirit of Karl Marx leaving their poor behind? BRILLIANT DIALOGUES "Hamrahi'' is a straight story told in a very simple manner with no intrusion anywhere, whether in direction, photography or sound. There is no pseudo-Russian technique about it nor any Hollywood glamour shots. And yet, not a single shot was badly taken throughout the picture. The picture drags in the first three reels but as one gets used to the strange faces of the characters and the inlaid theme, the story becomes gradually interesting till its theme grips the heart. The music of the picture is not popular and yet not a single tune is out of place. The most brilliant feature of the picture is its dialogue. The dialogues of Anup and Gopa were impressive throughout because, apart from the sentiment they expressed, they had words which could sit gracefully on the lips of cultured and educated people. The delicate moonlight love scene in the outdoors where Anup asks Gopa to sing, pro vides a classic example of a delicacv ind grace that can be put in a common romantic situation by a writer who realises that the higher emotion of love is best expressed in delicate flowers of speech. The direction of Bimal Roy is an excellent beginning to his new profession. All the emotional situations in the picture have been beautifully handled by painting them in lighter hues rather than in glaring colours. If Bimal had extended his theme to a wider field, "Hamrahi" would have become a much greater picture than it is today. What Bimal needs to learn is to add a little more glitter to f.he "wealthy" aspects of his story. All the party scenes at Rajendra's house looked rather poor affairs and even the setting property did not look rich and impressive. The 'grand' dinner at Rajendra's house shown in contrast with the empty stomach of the little boy in the slums, did not look grand enough to bring home the contrast or the pathos of the situation. RADHA AND BINOTA From the players, two people stand out — Radhamohan Bhattacharjee and Binota Bose. Seeing Radhamohans face, it is difficult to imagine hin* as a glamour boy of the screen. Actually the way he has acquitted himself in "Hamrahi,'' few glamour boys can come near him. Radhamohan's stoic restraint, his unintrusive culture and his spiritual identification with the role that he plays, give his portrayal the requisite dramatic intensity needed for the theme. Barring the fact that he looks like an escaped terrorist, Radhamohan has given a remarkable performance. Binota is not a charmer in the popular sense. In fact, she has a nose that runs away with the face. But Binota is an artiste of very high calibre. All the while, she knows what she is doing and she acquits herself with suitable dignity and poise through numerous situations. The others in the picture are not of much account. In fine, "Hamrahi" is a picture which may not run well, because it has to be shown in a land of 400 million fools. But if the intellectuals don't mind, here is a picture which is worth going a long way to see. Recruit V. P. Mallick of Saleem Bldgs, 6, McLagan Road, Lahore, is short just 5' 5", but says he can sing better than all the present film actors put together. There is something unique in his voice — according to him. He is prepared to prove it. 53