FilmIndia (1946)

February, 1946. FILM INDIA And Sardar Chandu'al Shah of Ranjit has just competed his 100th picture in an enterprising career of f.freen and odd years as a film producer. Not that he has always given quality pictures. The ma;ority of his pictures have been o:herwise. But in the early days when he directed pictures himself to present the exceptional talents of Miss Gohar, the screen had often breathed out the greatest emotions with their most subie fragranc. Gourangi Gohar, as the great s*ar was popularly known, was considered the xmeen of emotions for years and none could wrest from her the crown of achievement which was rightfully hers. Tragedy visited the once-famous Ranjit Studios, when one day Chandulal ceased to be the artist and became the capita. ist. With this con\ersion, from art to gold, the glory of Ranjit has been constantly on the wane, because quality gave place to quantity. Throttling the artist in himself, Chandulal soon emerged as the alert capitalist out to beat all others by cleverly manipulating the law of averages. With rare mathematical precision he turned out pictures one af er another and sold them in advance with equal speed never missing a minimum margin of proft. Good or bad, every Ranjit picture brought home profits and in doing so gave Chandulal the swo.len head of a film magnate. Today, Ranjit produces "sausages" which go out of the theatres in less weeks than the months required in their making. No one. however, wails for the commercial set-back. The tragedy is the death of the artist in Chandulal who was once known to weep in sympathy with the supreme emotional expression of Miss Gohar. Once partners in Art, today Chandulal and M ss Gohar are joint victims of greed and capitalism. Greed took Chandulal to strange fields where storms were known to have uprooted the most seasoned oaks. Chandulal, due to the cruel tricks of Providence, is nei her a rich man nor an artist today. He left one for the ether and lost both. And it is a great p:*y for an in'eiie;tual who goes to bed every night with his thoughts and ambitions. And yet the man who produced a hundred pictures has lent to the industry a stability which can not be underestima:ed. Whi e quality marks the ar istic progress of an industry, quantity is needed for its commercial expansion. The hundred Ramit pictures have given to the film trade a continuous fillip which has helped thousands all over the country to earn a livelihood as studio workers, distributors, exhibitors and even as ushers. That is the achievement of a human lion riding on the Raniit Charger. Chandu'al's unique achievement, whatever its inherent drawbacks, must remain the pride of the Ind'an film industry and the Producers' Association or its members ought to celebrate this event in a manner worthy of the great fighter. WE SALUTE KODAKS Gratitude is a human virtue, but strange as it may sound, human beings practise it *he least. Only those with long memories and natural goodness remember those who help in the hour of need. An Cnchnnling Social Photoplay of Muslim Life with Lilting Music. DUCAL PICTURES Presenfs ANITA SHARMA, HAR1SH, H. PRAKASH, N AJ MA, HAQDAR" vwlh BABY ROSH&N, AMIR BA1 KARNATAKI, SAYANI ATISH, KALYANI, MAN NAN, P. D. LAL, RAZIA BANO, and AZAD. DIRECTED BY:_ RAFIQ RAZVI NORTH & SIND: SURJ1T FILM DIST., RAWALPINDI & LAHORE. BENGAL: CENTRAL FILM CIRCUIT, CALCUTTA. C P. C.I.: POPULAR FILMS LTD.. BHUSAVAL. For Territorial Right* apply — DUGAL PICTURES, B3M8AY-4, LAHORE, AND RAWALPINDI. IS