FilmIndia (1946)

June. 1946 F 1 L M INDIA Shamim comes again in "Shikarpuri" a picture of Charolia Productions. We had written before that not one from the five "experts" was qualified enough to go on a trade delegation. All big Muffs of Hirlekar have always petered out and he has always rushed out of his pet schemics more hurriedly than he came in. This man has no talent for consistency or organization. He starts some new stunts at regular intervals and often ends by making a fool of himsdf and this time he parried the stupidity overseas. In the Indian film industry, almost every one knows Hirlekar too will. No one takes him seriously beeause Hirlekar has not yet taken himself seriously. He gets a good idea sometimes bul lacks the vision to put it over successfully because of his passion to lead others by the ear without having the necessary merit and guts for the job. At best Hirlekar is a clumsy organizer. The Motion Picture Society, the Amateur Photographers' Association and all other amateur this or that — all the different institutions, which Hirlekar gave birth to after different spasms, provide eloquent proof of Hirlekar's classic inefficiency. Now Hirlekar is worrying the Congress Ministers anei teaching them how to kill mosquitoes with the help of posters which Hirlekar picked up in America. Hirlekar is a crank and to take him seriously is to expose oneself to the ridicule of others. All the promises Hirlekar gave before flying, about the uplift of our film industry may have been well intention ed notions, but in the light of present experience they sound like so many bluffs today. And that is the pathetic side of Hirlekar's life. All hi. best intentions become bluffs in course of time. BUYING BRICKS AND MORTAR Almost every alternate day we hear of some film star having purchased some property or other in the City paying an inflated price. People want to know how the stars can do this with the income-tax taking the lion's share of all earnings. The only explanation must be found in the blackmarket earnings of the film stars. It is a well-nursed secret that as much as 80% of the contracted amounts is paid as blackmarket bonus and only 20% is put on paper for taxation purposes. The producers, who need the stars for their pictures, are compelled to abet in this practice under pressure of circumstances. It i therefore not surprising to hear that Veena, or rather her brother Shazada Iftekhar, has purchased property worth five lakhs; that Mehtab owns a big building on the Reclamation worth several lakhs; that Charlie owns a number of buildings worth lakhs in different parts of the city, that Master Winayak owns substantial property in Shivaji Park; that even a little starlet like Shanta Patel has purchased a bungalow in Khar and so on till almost every star. That is something to cover in "Parwana", a Jeet picture featuring Surraiya and K. N. Singh. I I