FilmIndia (1945)

December, 1345 FILM INDIA That with 'Huns', 'New Huns', 'New Huns Ltd.', 'Rajhuns' and all the other 'Huns' making new production companies, there is no 'bird' left for Baburao Pendharkar to produce, unless he goes back to the common duck. It is rather rough on Baburao Pendharkar, seeing that he had monopolized the royal swan so long. That by producing "Lakharani", Vishram Bedekar proved what good use can be made of Monica Desai. It is a slap in Kidar Sharma's face, seeing the way he handled her in Ranjit pictures. That Kidar Sharma wants Sardar Chandulal Shah to send "Mumtaz Mahal" to Hollywood as people in India can't understand the picture. Kidar's Hollywood friends would love to see "Mumtaz Mahal", at least to see the Taj Mahal which Shah Jehan built. That H. M. V. Chaturbhuj Doshi is a bit sore with Sardar Chandulal for not permitting the silver jubilee to his "Bhartruhari" in Bombay, seeing that the communal riots had already given the picture, a free extension of eight weeks. That Shanta Apte has invented a new singing mixture of music, with Western and Carnatic blende, and now "Panihari" will sound like •he belle of Honolulu. That Producer Kamla Bai MangWekar is thinking of producing "Oihello" as her next picture with herself as Desdemona and Atre as the Moor of Venice. An offer to Baburao Patel to play Iago is reported to have been refused, on grounds of heroine's old age. That the strangest luck in the film industry is given to Baburao Pai of the Would-be Maternity Hospital. When he secures pictures produced by others, they run like the devil while his own 'Chands' and 'Ranis' refuse to take the start. That seeing V. Shan'aram of Rajkamal and Jnvashree taking the story of the dead Dr. Kotnis, Baburao Pai took the living Kamla Kotnis to prove the argument in "Hum Ek Hain." That you can't help people being shocked out of their wits to see Shobhana Samarth and her husband "Baldy" Samarth together in picture houses — and af:er so many years of married life. Times are progressing. That film girls are getting fond of scientific massa<re these days to get rid of superfluous fat, over and inside the abdomen. Whv not send them to Baburao Pai's new Maternity Hospital ? That Raniana is reported to be on hunger strike because Vijoo did not run "Vikramaditya" till 'he end of "Ram Rajya". She refuses to b'eak her fast inspite of all Vijoo's soothers. Why not start shooting, "The Story Of Yashodhara"? That times have changed seemg Chhotu Desai of Janak patronising Sardar Chandulal Shah by shooting his pictures at the Ranjit studios. That is some depending on our "Independents". Tha* 'Baldwin' Motilal was ragged to sing a song in Allahabad recently and the pity of it is that our g'amour boy believed that the bovs really wanted him to sing. Moti'al doesn't yet know the le<ron of "filmmdia" readers. That ;>fter seeing Prithviraj's stage-hit "Deewar". our Bengali politician Sarat Chandra Bose is reported to h->ve embraced Prithvi on the stage r'sht in front of all. This Bengali Bnbu seems to be very fond of embracing, seeing tha* he had also embraced Sardar Vall-rnhbrni at the A. I. C. C. session. What would he hnve done if «he producer of "Deewar" had been, say — Protima Das Gupta ? STOP PRESS BUYING FREEDOM BOMBAY, 26th November. The Indian film industry seems to be composed of strange peop'e. Sardar Chandulal Shah invited some friends of the industry primarily to discuss the advisability of the Indian fi m industry establishing its own co-opera tive insurance company to cover film-fire risk because the foreign insurance companies had refused to underwrite Indian film-fire risk. During the discussion to establish an insurance company with the initial capital of 50 lakhs of rupees, some one in the crowd cf friends suggested that if Sardar Chandulal applied a quarter of h:s influence to collect some funds for the Congress and the Indian National Army Fund, the country would be benefitted. Being the day cf elections supporters to this suggestion were many. Not a bit taken aback Sardar Chandulal probably decided in his mind to make every cup of tea on the table the most expensive item of the day. for every one present. "Gentlemen, I open an unofficial Congress and I.N. A. Fund with my personal donation of Rs. 5,000," said the Sardar, "and I am waiting to put down your contributions." Within five minutes Rs. 78,oooj were contributed. The only conscientious objector was Mr. Jamshed B. H. Wadia M.B.E. whose political convictions would not allow him to contribute to such a fund. Here is the list of people who contribu'ed: Sardar Chandulal Shah (Ranjit) Kapurchand Brothers Rajkamal Kalamand!r Prabhat Film Company Prakash Pictures Mohan Pictures Jupiter Studios Laxmi Productions Sun Rise Pictures Interna'ional Tatkie Equipment B. A. Bharucha Baburao Patel (filmindia) Kishote Sahu Amar Pictures Shree Sound Studios Harischandra Rao Pra:a Pictures Phani Muzumdar Royal Film Circuit Bharat Pictures M. B. B llimoria Dawlat Corporation Profulla Pictures Vishnu Cinetone Indu A. Pa"el Chandrarao Productions Rai Bahadur Chuni Lall Rs. 5000 • Rs. 5000 Rs. 5000 • Rs. 5000 Rs. 5000 Rs. 5000 • Rs. 50110 Rs. 3000 Rs. 3000 Rs. 3000 Rs. 3000! Rs. 2000f Rs. 20001 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 • Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 • Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. 2000 Rs. iooo[ Rs. 78000) But the nation wants more money in its final fight for freedom and who can pay more than our film people? Though the Government has sucked them drv in taxes (the industry pays nearly 40% in taxation) our film people will always have the heart to pay for FREEDOM. 17