FilmIndia (1948)

Vovember, 1948 FILMINDI A Not that the producers and the distributors are them:Ives willing to issue these complimentary passes as they so lose money in doing so, but the habit of securing )mplimentary passes has become such a persistent vice ith these freebooters that the producers and the distriutors just can't escape these sharks. With the exhibitors le story is different. As they don't lose anything on comlimentary passes, their own weekly income being guarnteed by the producer in a black and white deal I not lk and paper, nor Scotch whisky nor cigarettes, but a eeklv minimum guarantee of Rs. 8000|-, half of it payble in black money and half in white), the exhibitors Ire usually only too willing to oblige all and sundry [special 1 v in the conc luding few weeks of a picture's run. These are facts which can be verified by an unexected checking of cinemas on any clay. A checking like lis will also re\eal another lucrative racket practised by ie door keepers who actually sell complimentary passes t half the rates of the admission prices as also admit a umber of people without any ticket counters but after eceiv in«r cash on the spot. This racket is practised on i large Male in almost all crowded cinemas with the conivance of the cinema managers who -bare in the spoils, nth a popular picture running, as much as Rs. 6()0|ave been collected on a single day at a single cinema uring four shows, with the manager taking one-fourth nd the rest divided equally among the other members f the staff. As all these complimentary pa>ses contribute to a evere loss in state revenue, the action of the producers, he distributors and the exhibitors in issuing such passes has mjde Mjiden's hair his permanent abode, according to the Poet. Let K««avardhinl now grow these glamorous tresses that lure and fascinate tven the gods : and let it grow them all the year round. Romance — that is what Kesavardhini gives ycur hair. Radiant with Youth, vibrant with Beauty — and irresistible are the locks that Kesavardhini helps to grow and preserve — frcm children upwards. Let your hair present you at ycur best ; and let Kesavardhini present your hair at their best. Give your hair TO DAY ! PRESERVES, GROWS' AND BEAUTIFIES HAIR Kesavardhini . . At . 14 Kesavardhini Shampoo. .As. 14 Postage and Packing extra From most dealers or direct from SOUTH INDIA CHEMICALS CO IM BATORE amounts to a conspiracy to deprive the government of its legitimate taxes. On these grounds, the Government can as well make it a criminal offence to issue a complimentary pass on which no Entertainment Tax is paid. It is at the same time necessary that some people like the journalists and the production staff must be shown the picture free by virtue of their close association w ith it. This problem can be easily solved by arranging a couple of special morning shows for the press and the production staff. Foreign distributors do not as a rule issue any complimentary passes and yet meet their trade obligations by giving a press show in the mornings. The loss of seats to the producers through all these complimentary passes throughout the country must be reaching astronomical figures and the loss in Entertainment Tax to our provincial exchequers must also be equally great. Calculating a meagre minimum of 20 complimentary passes per day for 3 daily shows fan average of 6 passes per show I at the 2000 and odd cinemas in India over 40.000 passes for 4 persons each must be issued every day on one excuse or other, which means a loss of 1.60.000 balcony seats per day. Calculating an average admission price of Hs. 2[ per seat and Annas -|10| in Entertainment Tax (to set off the ridiculously low average of 6 passes per show), the dailv loss in takings amounts to Rs. 3,20.000 and in Tax to Rs. 1.00,000|-. The weekly loss on the seats would be Rs. 22.40.000'while the Tax losses per week must he Rs. 7,00.000]-. The monthly loss on the same scale would be Rs. RO.OO.OOO' to the producer and Rs. 28.00.000! in State revenue. Just calculate the annual loss on this basis and imagine which way the prosperity of our industry is going. All this astronomical calculation is based on 6 meagre passes per show. Producers know pretty well that as manv as 50 complimentary passes per show are often the order of the day whatever city or town the cinema is situated in. We therefore appeal to the different provincial governments to take a serious notice of this severe drain on their provincial revenues and comple'elv ' an the issuing of complimentary passes to cinemas and theatres for public shows. The film producers and distributors cannot possibly have anv objection to any such legal restriction as it primarilv improves the financial prospects of their trade. ANOTHER INSULT TO OUR FLAG! Of all the national symbols abused in our early convulsions of freedom, our national fla« is perhaps the most abused. No one from the people to the government seems to know what to do with it with the result that our national flap has unwittingly become the cause of many disgusting displays bv the people and quite a few puerile orders by the different provincial governments. The latest spark of official intelligence conies from the popular Government of Madras who have issued orders to project the flag on the screen of the cinemas in