FilmIndia (1946)

June, 1946 FILM INDIA Chandni and Suresh make a new team in "Sona Chandi" directed by Pareenja. That the film journalists of Bengal will commend in advance the incomparable merit of "Dr. Kotnis" and declare it as the "Better than the Best picture of the year" even before the release of the picture in Calcutta, awarding a special brass medal to Shantaram (unless Shantarafn contributes some gold) for the "Better than the Best performance" of the year. For the "Best" performance, of course Jayashree will be given the award as usual. It' " 1'. P. A. Dera" could take several awards from the sentimental Bengalis, "Dr. Kotnis" must take all the awards. That some Bombay journalists like Sathe and Abbas cruelly think that the Bengalis, due to national starvation, have become either weak in the eye and the mind or were completely contused by the story of "P. P. A. Dera" and granted it all the prizes to err on the safe side. That again Sathe and Abbas are already feeling sore about "Dr. Kotnis" getting all the Bengali awards in spite of their producing a world-beater in "Dliarli-ke-Lal". That Abbas not being a professional director his "D. K. Lai" cannot run in the "Best Race" of the year along with the product of a seasoned professional like Shantaram. That Master Winayak, a graduate of Kolhapur University (if there is one) translated for Annas (Shantaram) benefit "filmindia's" review of Dr. Kotnis" into Kolhapuri Marathi (E. & 0. E.) and convinced Anna that Baburao Patel had recommended the picture to be burnt in a public square as it was likely to destroy the entire Indian film industry with its Himalayan quality. An atom bomb of motion picture production, eh! That Producer Kardar intends giving up his own production of "Shah Jahan" as he cannot even dream of reaching the standard attained by "Dr. Kotnis". A wise decision. That Sardar Chandulal Shah doesn't believe in this motion picture 'harakiri' of Miyan Kardar and has asked Kedar Sharma to produce another picture to compete with Shantaram. Courtier Kedar has begun two at once. That will be the end of Shantaram. Two Kedar pictures are worse than the Atom bomb. Chandulal seems to be out to make Hiroshima out of Rajkamal. That Sardar Chandulal has borrowed some earphones from the Regal Cinema to pick up distinctly the jumble nf words falling every afternoon on his tender ear-drums. Why can't Pandit Indra, Kedar Sharma, Walli, H. M. V. Chaturbhuj and others take turns in talking? Is it necessary to overwhelm a good man with a mob cry? That to offset the intense heat of his courtiers, Sardar Chandulal tried one night a moonlight session on the Juhu sands where even the technicians added their reverent silence, though the music directors sang Pandit Indra's poetry and collected a crowd which wondered whether film people were going completely mad. That as a result of this moonlight session, the Juhu Municipality intends putting a sign on the beach warning off all film people. That Pandit Indra is likely to accompany Master Winayak to America carrying between them "Subhadra", that mythological woman who was carried over the clouds by a demon. This is a strictly confidential arrangement to counteract Anna's "Dr. Kotnis." That K. S. Hirlekar the "Expert" secretary of the "delegation of experts" that once went to America, is these days teaching the Congress Ministers of Bombay American methods of killing mosquitoes. And they say that our Congressmen are non-violent. That K. S. Hirlekar has given All-India charge of educational films to Mrs. Hirlekar these days conferring a blessing on the victims. Now people can at least understand what is an educational film. With Hirlekar talking, they couldn't find out whether the old guy was saying it in English, Italian, German or Marathi. That the Ranjit seem to have decided to make their 101st picture, "Jogan", not only a talkie but a "smelly." Director Manibhai Vyas is in complete charge of both the technical processes. The deeply religious Jains seem to be improving fast. 15