FilmIndia (1946)

March, 1946 FILM INDIA Trilok Kapur gives an excellent performance in "Gvalan", a Baburao Patel production. American pictures? This procedure is against all canons of honourable business. If the American pictures are to be taxed in future on one ground or other such tax collections should go to the general i xchequer and should not be ear-marked tor any particular purpose such .is to improve the conditions of the indigenous film industry. Such contributions by foreign sompetitors will always be considered .is compulsory charities and no self-respecting industry must accept them. I If the Indian film industry wishes to improve its quality, status and stability, it should do so at its own initiative and with its own expenses and not go with begging towIs to strange doors I A lesser evil will be to levy a censoring fee of four uinas a foot tor every picture censored in India and to set iside these collections for the purposes of defraying the: innual maintenance expenses of the Film Institute. The jrescnt censoring fees oi Rs. 5 per reel are ridiculously o\v and film producers who spend lakhs on making a picture can well afford to pay two thousand and odd rupees as jensoring tecs per picture seeing that such tecs arc utilized n a good cause. ' But to tax the foreigners only and allow the local film people to escape will always be considered as a very caddish and undemocratic procedure. Another sourer of revenue is the theatre-owner. It is I well-known trade secret that theatre-owners all over the country have made huge profits during the war. Beggars of six years ago have become theatre-magnates of today. Their pockets are bulging with black-market money earned with easv conscience. Theatre-owners all over the country have purchased extensive personal properties paying inflated prices during the boom-period. A part of this money should be taken for the betterment of the industry from which these people have earned the money. Instead of taxing the poor film-goers — who support all Indian pictures, whether good or bad — it will be a good idea to impose on the theatre -owners an excess-profit tax ind set aside this collection for the Film Institute. As the Film Institute will ultimately prove beneficial to every individual, it wouldn't be a bad idea if every person who works in the industry and earns Rs. 20o| and over per month is made to pay a flat industrial tax of 5°'» on his or her monthly earnings. Such a tax, being deducted at the source of income, will not be considered a severe imposition and almost every third person will get the satisfaction of having contributed to the future progress of the industry from which he or she earns a livelihood. Over 20 lakhs of rupees per month are paid out in salaries in the different studios of India. A 5% of this amount works out at a lakh of rupees per month. This industrial tax should apply to all fields of the film industry — production, distribution and exhibition. The very fact that the Government are prepared to invest the initial Rs. 14 lakhs for the Film Institute proves their bona fides, and it is but natural that annual maintenance expenses must be met from outside. As the Film Institute is an excellent idea, the most drastic steps taken •'Filmindia" seems to have heard what Producer Kardar speaks about it, so the game horse went and won the Gulamhussein Essaji Cup (ij miles) on the 16th February. Baburao Patel seems happy leading it in after the victory. 7