FilmIndia (1946)

ht HomE mid rbrord MOVIES AND CRIME Right after the fashion of the \ movie-makers, an Indian took a tommy-gun the other day, got into a taxi, jumped out in a crowded locality and opened fire killing six and wounding several. After this fell exhibition of monstrous butchery, this coward escaped in the taxi and was untraced till the time of writing. This is a communal-cum-political incident, but is it purely this or a'so cinematic, considering what Hollywood has been showing the Indians during the last thirty years? Though I tragic, this man-slaughter has a touch of filmic melodrama in it'. These methods of crime were unknown in India before the movies became a popular entertainment. FINAL SETTLEMENT Once managing the Indian distribution-end of the Universal Pictures of America. Aniladi Vithal Rao. found it necessary to dispose himself off by hanging himself from the ceiling of his bed-room. Losing his job with the Universal's a few years back, this unfortunate man went through a chain of misfortunes in trying to do some independent distribution business in the city. Dunned by his creditors, the unfortunate man could not stand the endless strain of dodgings and bluffs and on Tuesday morning the 10th of September Vithal Rao's young wife found her husband hanging by the neck in his bed-room. That is one against the speculative aspect of this film business. NO FREE SHOWS The Congress Ministry of the L'nited Provinces has once again passed orders warning government servants about using complimentary passes to visit cinemas. Strict disciplinary action will be taken agaii.st offenders who are found taking illegal advantage of their official status. What about Bombay and the other provinces where the whit.' capped moralists are ruling? PROUD EGYPTIANS The Ministry of Social Affairs of the Egyptian Government have decided to ban Egyptian-made films which are considered "indecent and incompatible with their traditions and not befitting; Egypt's status among the nations of the world." This decision was taken on the report of the Aral) States where the Egyptian films were severely In "Parda" a social picture of Fasik Productions, Dulari attracts attention. censured and considered indecent by conservative families. Reportalso came in that these films were doing a great harm to Egypt's reputation abroad and rudely contradicted the complacent belief that the Egyptian film industry served as a good propaganda medium. Measured by this yard-stick, 99% of the Indian product should he pushed into the city's sewers. ONE FILM LESS On August 26th, in Lahore, the i apit'al of the Punjab, a film studio belonging to Shorey Pictures was gutted by fire which took its flame from the leakage of an electric fuse. For a while, an adjoining cinema and a few residential flats were in danger but were saved by the heroic efforts of the studio staff and the Fire Brigade. It is reported that "Rut Rangilee", a film was completely burnt. The actresses are reported co have escaped unhurt. One wonders what the Electric It\spcctor to the Government was doing to permit the use of faulty .-lectrical installation in a place where hundreds of people work regularly. AND SOME MORE LESS On August 27th, a film-godown belonging to the Empire Talkie Distributors of Calcutta, coughed out a loud explosion and broke out into a fire. No loss of life is re in 'Kalpana", Uday Shankar gives some rare dances which are going; to grace the Indian screen for the first time. 59