FilmIndia (1946)

mmarm This section is the monopoly of "JUDAS" and he writes what he likes and about things which he likes. The views expressed here are not necessarily ours, but they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. RACKETEERING IN RAW STOCK The Indian film industry still seems to be in the midst of wartime shortages, though it is nearly a year now that the arms have been put on the shelf. For the last two months, the most heartless black-marketing has been prevailing in the sales of raw films. A tin of 1000 feet of negative is sold for as much as Rs. 1200. nearly eight times its original price. The main reason seems to be an acute shortage of supply from overseas as against an increased demand from producers. During the war, India produced 150 pictures a year, while today more than 300 pictures are on the floors. All the raw film with Kodaks, now no longer under licensing restrictions, has been taken up by different producers and till the first week of July no fresh stocks are expected. Some of the free-lance producers are now blackmarketing their stocks at phantastic prices and the studio owners, who have to maintain constant overheads, are compelled to buy their stocks in the blackmarket to keep their show running. The Dupont stocks, sold by the Roxy Photo Co. owned by Kapurchand Brothers, seem to have completely evaporated into thin air. This is not the first time that Dupont raw film has evaporated in this manner and it seems that the celluloid base of the film becomes too flimsy in the tropical climate of India to be useful in the legitimate markets of the country. But Dupont stocks are always available in the blackmarket, where probably the celluloid base hardens sufficiently, not in tins alone but if necessary in cases. It is a mystery how these stocks find their way to the blackmarket in spite of the vigilance of Kapurchand Brothers. Probably the •Kapurchand Brothers, who are simple village folks with lot of luck, quite innocently sell their stocks to the wrong people who take a dirty advantage by blackmarketing the stocks. We can understand the anxiety of Kapurchand Brothers to sell their stocks as quickly as possible to release their investment, more so because films tret fogged in India too quickly. But it would be wise for Kapurchands to pick and choose their customers a liltle more judiciously in future, so that Dupont films don't go to the blackmarket. This racket of blackmarketing will end only when there is supply in plenty or it will be worthwhile once again to ask the Government to place some restrictions on the sales of raw films, seeing that human nature will remain what it has been through six years of war. THE "ARISTOCRATIC" RECRUITS ! Since Editor Baburao Patel decided to help recruits who wished to take the films as a career, the offices of '"filmindia'' have been full of faces and photographs from all over India. They come in hundreds every month and 95% of the recruits claim to be scions of some noble family or other. Most of the Muslim recruits from the Punjab claim to be "Shahzadas" (Princes) though half of them may only be pedlers in Anarkali. . .Quite a few Hindus from the United Provinces describe themselves as '•aristocrats" who don't mind becoming film actors to raise the status of our film industry. Some of them, 1 am told, have 'pan-bidi' shops in Chandni Chowk. Recruits from Bengal, almost invariably, come from some ancient Zamindar family and though half Chandni seems to have been caught stealing in "Sona Chandi" produced and directed by R. D Pareenja. 9