FilmIndia (1946)

February, 1946. FILM INDIA riini Kaushal, another new one to see in "Neecha Nagar," a social theme of the India Pictures poisoning millions of young minds and while making their fortunes bequeathing to the nation a generation of budding criminals". As was expected, many a local film man was deeply hurt and felt like retaliating but the hefty editor's sincerity of expression took the wind out of many a fluttering sail. They swallowed the stuff. The news of the arrival of the popular editor and his star-secretary being flashed in all the local paper*. Karachi gave a crowded reception to the guests. At the D. J. Sindh College, thousands of students mustered in their full strength to be rudely shaken at the startling beauty of Sushi'a Rani. Few film stars maintain their screen glamour in real life, but Sushila Rani proved a pleasant surprise and won the vote of both the boys and the girls with her pleasant ways and beautiful personality. For a coup'e of hours youthful enthusiasm ran riot but the informal ga'hcring was ultimately concluded after a number of currencv notes were autographed by the star-secretarv. Even Pandit Indra found quite a fewfans who asked for his autograph. Next day at the Amil Institute, under the presidentship of Mr. Shnmdas P. Gidwani, Mr Patel delivered a sparklirg speech on the subject of the educated boys and girls joining the films as a career. Addressing a cultured audience of Amil men and Women, Mr. Patel maintained that the atmosphere in the fi'm studios was quite hea'thy and there was a very remote chance of any society girl getting demoralised or going astray. "How can you expect any one to fool with any girl," demanded Mr. Patel, "on the sets when at no time during the shooting of a picture there are less than fifty people on the floor? You can't be immoral in a crowd and to make a film you need a crowd every minute during its production. The much-advertised immorality of the film people is just a well-nursed myth — nursed by those who would themselves love to be in the films if only they had the opportunity. "Amil girls, as I see them before me, seem to be having enough beauty and personality to be in the films. With a little talent they can reach the top of the ladder. I advise them to set aside prudish notions about morality and other social hypocrisies and invite them to join our film industry. If they do so I am sure that with their beauty and talent they will be provided with a greater scope for expression than as frustrated fashion plates of society hanging on the arms of half-drunken males." In the midst of thundering applause, the local filmgoers' Association presented Mr. Patel with a cheque of (01 1 as an appreciation of his services to ihe film world. Quickly adding his own Rs. 500) Mr. Patel presented Rs. 601' to the I.N.A. Fund saying: "The families of out valiant rebels need the money more than I do". HIS iooTH PICTURE Millions who see our pictures hardly realise what it takes in money, time and energy to make a motion pictute and present it on the screen. Those two-and -odd hours of entertainment which people purchase in India for a paltry sum of four annas and sometimes even for less, require months of careful planning and labour apart from financial investment and risk. A sing'e motion picture has often become the work of a life-time for the true motion picture artist. Mazhar Khan is grooming little Suman Sule to stardom in "Naiyya", a Ramnik picture. 13