FilmIndia (1948)

This section is the monopoly of "J U DAS" and he writes what he likes and about things which he likes The views expressed here are not necessarily ours, but still they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. i'IE DIE IS CAST! Hell-bent and incorrigible in their over-zealous but Jtnentably misguided and abortive drive for improving jlblic morals (sic) and in keeping with their policy of ■ring two hoots for public opinion, our "popular" GovjBiment of Bombay has at last carried out its threat of flohibiting smoking in all the local cinemas and thus Sded one more unpopular and undemocratic ordinance 'Bf their discredit. 1OS0 the 'smoke? about smoking in cinemas has justified fle proven old adage that "there is no smoke without He" and, thanks to our ultrapuritanical Minister-, tbere ■11 now be neither smoke nor fire in the auditorium. ■At this rate one shouldn't be surprised one of these lys to find the authorities prohibiting the practice of Ijj male and female spectators sitting together because I its "unhealthy " elfect on the younger generation and K danger it constitutes to innocent young maidens from Biools and colleges! As a matter of fact, the die was already cast in Bimedabad where the police arrested 50 persons for alILed contravention of the order prohibiting smoking in Kema houses. On being produced before the City MaIfstrate each one of these fifty smokers was fined three ■pees and given the warning of a "heavier sentence if le offence was repeated . Granting that the order against smoking in cinemas Itued under Sections 219 and 269 of the "Kules for | beping of Places of Public Amusement" of the City of | hmbay (1911) is characteristic of so many other unIcessary and unjustifiable attempts of the Congress bulaucracy constituting a flagrant misuse of power and Hcroachment on our legitimate civil liberties and rights ■ citizens of free India, the fact that the authorities have ported to the same in spite of the strong protest made I d the warning given by a large section of the Press blading "filmindia", could only be said to emphasize ieir utter heedlessness and obduracy. It thus becomes paradoxical but true that while the Ithorities concerned refuse even to touch with a pair of Ings the many urgent problems of health, housing, saniItion and the like confronting them, they can afford to |;vote their mind and energies to such ridiculous orders asking theatre-owners to close their doors during the aying of the national song and now prohibiting smokg in cinemas. It remains to be seen how far and with what stricthss this ban on smoking is actually enforced in all the jnemas of Bombay and elsewhere and whether the maIrity of smokers among the filmgoers will not prefer to ialk out of a boring show (if not stop visiting theatres altogether ) rather than continue being deprived of their favourite pastime for two and half hours. But, knowing the ways of the present Ministers as we do, not many will be surprised if the ban on smoking in cinemas is lifted before long as in the case of the advice for closing doors of theatres which was later withdrawn when the folly was brought home and the whole farce was exposed threadbare. Meanwhile it would be amusing to watch how the door-keepers or the theatre managements, for that matter, manage to enforce this order and succeed in bringing the culprits to book without sufficient help from the police! G ARSON'S •ERRIINTKRVIEW AND AFTER! The All-India Radio lor whatever you may call it) once again proved and proclaimed their remarkable consistency in the matter of misfires two hours before the midnight of June 15. 1948 when Hamid Sayani. their local playwright, ""air-interviewed" Greer Garson. the Mi, ler a comparatively long absence Husn Banii returns to the screen in "Pardesi Maheman", a Ranjit social scheduled for early release. 7