FilmIndia (1946)

May, 1946 FILMINDI A Nehru is also reading the news of the Chinese tragedy. Dissolve the newspaper headlines into pathetic scene of the plight of the Chinese. Montage and quick dissolves showing bombings, wounded, dying, screaming helpless men, women and children. An incident showing a Chinese medical man running out of medical supplies and the wounded dying. Come back to Pandit Javvaharlal perspiring, depressed with his mental picture of the sad happenings in China. He gets up with sudden anger. Dissolve. Sands of Chowpatty: Pandit Javvaharlal addressing a mammoth meeting of thousands, telling his people about the dire need of our Chinese neighbours, calling on the people to give all help, men, money, medicines etc. Dissolve. In quick dissolves show money pouring in; medicine parcels arriving, bandages and instruments piling up. Dissolve. At the Ballard Pier: Show Mrs. Sarojini Naidu wishing bon voyage to the live doctors. Introduce them one by one through Mrs. Sarojini Naidu. Pull in the parents of Dr. Kotnis by making Mrs. Naidu congratulate them for the patriotism of their gallant son, etc. Let the ship sail carrying the goodwill of 400 million Indians to 400 million Chinese. We have neither space nor time to write the complete scenario. But a beginning like this could have launched the theme of the story more forcibly than the present tonga touch of the great Shantaram. JAYASHREE SHINES BUT SHANTARAM FAILS With the exception of Jayashree and Dewan Sharar all the characters are wrongly cast and more wrongly interpreted. Take the hero. We are told thac he was 26. On the screen Shantaram's dehydrated face looks anywhere near 50. His long, hanging, broad nose, thick lips, bunch of negroid hair and blank sunken eyes can hardly meet the requirements of a young man of 26 years. Shantaram tries to bridge the difference in age by jumping about but he looks like an old kangaroo in rheumatic pain. His attempt to do so must be described as ridiculous. Shantaram cannot act even a wee bit and remains camera conscious all along. And when he puts on his thinking cap in emotional sequences, he acquires a funny lunatic expression with the eyes becoming squint and the neck bent to an angle. In the very first sequence, when he sings a song in the tonga, he invites ridicule due to the funny faces he makes. Shantaram is a pretty good director and one of the best we have in camera craftsmanship but he is not at all an actor by the widest stretch of imagination. His portrayal of Dr. Kotnis excites ridicule from the beginning to the end. His Hindustani diction provokes laughter. In fifteen years of talkies, has'nt the Hindustani language travelled from Kolhapur to Bombay at least? In short, Shantaram has failed as an actor and damn miserably. Baburao Pendharkar, another Kolhapuri with his peculiar Kolhapuri accent of Hindustani plays the role of General Fong. He gives us the firm impression that the Chinese General WE OFFER YOU THE UNDERMENTIONED BOX OFFICE BONANZAS SUITED FOR ALL THEATRES ( FOR ALL INDIA RIQHTS ) ALEXANDER KORDA'S PRODUCTIONS 1. ELEPHANT BOY: — A jungle story comes to life with enchanting little urchin FAMOUS SABU. 2. DARK JOURNEY: — The most exciting SPY DRAMA. CONRAD VEIDT teamed with lovely VIVIEN LEIGH plays a doubly dangerous -game Q-Boat's fight! ROBERT T. KANE PRODUCTIONS. 3. UNDER THE RED ROBE :_CONRAD VEIDT as duellist & adventurer co-starring with ANNA3ELLA gives a brilliant performance with thrilling fight. 4. DINNER AT THE RITZ :_ Lovely ANNABELLA with DAVID NIVEN plays her role most brilliantly in this DETECTIVE STORY Revolver fight, murder, detection ending in peace and happiness. DAVID O. SELZNICK PRODUCTION : 5. GARDEN OF ALLAH :_( In technicolor) starring MARLENE DIETRICH & CHARLES BOYER The most thrilling and awakening romance ever screened. For BOOKINGS & TERRITORIAL RIQHTS write to: THE MYSORE CINE CORPORATION, 290, Lamington ROAD, Gram: "MYSORECINE " BOMBAY 7. Phone . . 51