FilmIndia (1945)

L This section is the monopoly of " JUDAS" and hi writes what he likes and about things which he likes. The views expressed here are not necessarily outs, but they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. A MUNICIPAL THEATRE With the world becoming more and more progressiveminded every day and our school and college students acquiring current progressive cults, our different stage arts seem to be going through a much-desired renaissance these days. Not a week passes without some stage-play or dance somewhere in the ctty under the auspices of some theatre group or other, usually constituted of young and educated enthusiasts who wish to revive the different ancient arts of India in one form or other. All these enthusiasts are, however, balked in their efforts by a woeful shortage of theatres in our city. With not only every obvious theatre but every cattle stable turned into a picture house, there is hardly any theatre left in the town for stage plays or any cultural shows. Most of these enthusiasts have to satisfy themselves by turning a few public halls we have in the citv into pseudo-theatres after paying prohibitive rentals. Once in a while someone influential enough, like Prithvirai Kanoor, manages to securea theatre but then he has to give morning shows ' at odd hours and odd days after paying the theatre man through his nose . To take a glaring example : Prithvi Kapoor is these days not only putting up good stage shows but also presenting useful social themes. It is a well-known trade secret that Prithvi earns big money by doing screen work and then proceeds to spend it on his hobby of producing s'age plays. Prithvi is today a well-known stage producer with empty pockets. And the large part of his pocket is picked by the theatre-man who hires out his stage at impossible rates. Add to this inevifable extravagance, Prithvi's own stupid but good-hearted generosity in throwing away his premieres and holiday-shows for some charitable cause or other and it is not difficult to imagine that Prithvi has not only ruined himself but also his wife and children who had all along expected him to leave behind something for them. The others in the field are not as aWuistic as Prithvi Kapoor but nevertheless they render some cultural service to the country by presenting suitable stage plays and dances which not only enter'ain but also contribute towards the general renaissance of our ancient arts. All these people seem to work under impossible conditions. It is a marvel how they keep on giving some show or other in any p'g-sty availab'e under such circumstances. The way things are moving, it seems that motion pictures will be the only ultimate entertainment for all. Imagine the dark prospect our masses have in store with nothing else but the usually rotten Indian pictures to see. All the new theatres which have been scheduled for the postwar period will be so many cinema halls. Not a single one is being planned for stage shows. Thai is rather strange in a country where thirty years back there were no motion pictures but only stage plays for entertainment. Here is a case for the Municipal authorities to attend to. Almost all the principal towns in Europe have their own municipal theatres where local institutions and visiting companies give their stage shows. The municipal theatre in Venice presents two different shows of different companies all nights of the week and the theatre shows huge profits at the end of every year. Can't the Bombay Municipality plan something on these lines ? It is high time that the first city in India had its own municipal theatre if not to encourage local talent at least to provide a common meeting ground for the East and the West. What is wrong with our city fathers ? Have they no imagination ? Are they all nincompoops ? Some of them should start shouting till the Municipal Theatre becomes a fact. EDUCATION ON WHEELS ? Information and Broadcasting Secretary Prem Nath Thapar has been in America for some time now, on behalf Shanta and Mumtaz Shanti share a secret in "Chand Chakori," a Ranjit picture