FilmIndia (1948)

FILM INDIA June, 194 1 closed at the end of each show when the "National Anthem" is played or sung, in order that the audience may not leave the house (as it is now doing) but learn to respect the "National Anthem". These khaddar-clad puritans who learned their discipline in His Majesty's prisons, naturally know no better ways of teaching discipline to others than those taught by the jail manuals. They do not seem to realise however, that while people can be taught discipline by jail manuals, they cannot be compelled to respect anything or anybody, neither the National Anthem, nor the National Flag, aye, not even God by fear of confinement or punitive action. Respect comes from one's heart. It is not enforced by laws. The Britishers who ruled over us for a century and a half knew it very well and, therefore, they never tried to compel our respect for the Union Jack or the British National Anthem by means of law or such comical devices as closing the doors of cinema houses or public halls. But I wonder whether we really have a "National Anthem" at all! Are we to take it that any song that is either played or sung at any cinema theatre at the end of the show is our National Anthem? And are we supposed to stand up and show our respect to that song? If that is what our white cap rulers want, the sooner they give up governing the province, the better it would be for both themselves and the people. I have heard "Vande Mataram" being sung or played at countless places in a number of tunes that vary from a fox-trot dance tune to a dirge. I have heard likewise ".Tana Gana Mana'' when often I thought a mourning song was being sung in memory of some great departed Indian. I have also heard "Hindo-satan Hamara" being sung in the "Kawwali" fashion. I do not yet know which of all these is our National Anthem and I am at a loss whether any of the thousand and one tunes in which these various songs are being sung or played is capable of infusing anything but sheer nausea in the mind or heart of a music-loving and intelligent listener. No National Anthem! We have no officially recognised National Anthem yet. Acharya Kripalani. an ex-President of the Indian National Congress once refused to stand up in a meeting while "Jana Gana Mana" was being sung on the ground that that song was not the officially recognised National Anthem! Even Gandhi ji once refused to stand up while "Vande Mataram" was being sung because he said, showing respect bv standing up was the western fashion, and we Indians need not imitate it. We could show our respect better, he said, by quietly squatting with folded arms. Any way, whether we have a National Anthem or not, there is no necessity of playing anything like it or displaying the National Flag on the cinema screen. There are many other places and many other occasions every day when the playing of the national song or the displaying of the National Flag could be done with due serenity and dignity and 12 DEAR READER! NEED I TELL, I STAR IN Orient Sound Studloi ' . JANNAT with HAMID, S. RAJ. ANWAR!, NAZIR KASHMIRI, ABBAS RIZVI, SHANTI MADHOK, RATTAN, Munshi Munnaqqa, Piareylal, Noorjehan, RAZIA AKHTAR, ZOHRA and PRITMA MALHOTRA Producer 3 Director Story : DAROGHAJEE Revised by M K. CHHIBBER Music: — HANUMAN PR ASH AD Dialogue-Songs — M K. CHHIBBER. Photography:— AH ME DULL A AIMERI P. R. KUMAR M. K. CHHIBBER Prod Seer. ;Shabbir Rizvi. MURTUZA CHANGEZEE FOR PARTICULARS CONTACT ORIENT FILMS C/o ORIENT SOUND STUDIOS Kalina. Santa . Cruz, BOMBAY, 25.