FilmIndia (1946)

FILMINDI A November, 1946 well. But as has been customary with everything which our film producers do, familiarity sooS brought contempt into this field of work and it is not surprising to see now-a-days men and women with unmusical voices and without any musical training being made to sing as "ghost" singers. With such apathy in the field of music is it sua prising to find our film music completely deteriorated and miserable? Not that our film music was evm very musical at any stage during the talkies, but what little attraction it once had has also been dissipated recently hy the employment of wrong person^ to do playback singing. Now don't run away with the idea that film producers are trying to he economic by paying leal for ghost singers. Far from saving any money thef are actually paying more these days than ever before. The so-called well-established singers cost Rs. 1 000 1 a song and these ghost singers are equally to be blamed for the present deterioration of our film music. Though these professional singers earn their livelihood by doing playback singing, they show almost criminal disregard for their responsibilities They often rehearse a song twice in the afternoof and arc ready to record it in the evening to earn a thousand rupees within a few hours. The amateurs who take up ghost singing can claim probably the lowest musical standard and training imaginable. Kven these amateurs cost anything between Rs. 400j and Rs. G00| per song. Add to this circumstance of shortage of efficient singing artistes, the utter negligence and inefficiency of the music directors of the studios and imagine where our film music is going to end within a very short time. [f there bad been a chance of our film music becoming completely unpopular with the masses some day. we would have welcomed the present state of idiotic indifference on all sides. But where music is concerned Indians are a crazy people and as there is not the least chance of our people disliking music in another thousand years or more, it is but necessary that we should have better film music in our pictures >o that while such music helps to bring the bacon home earlier through the box-offices, it may also help to raise our taste in the ail of music itself. \nd one way to do this is by insisting on thoroughness in rehearsals and by asking the preeenl ghosl singers to be more responsible in their work. If the professional singing girls, who are at present generally employed as ghost singers, cannot behave properly, it will be well to send them back to their red-light districts where they have to earn their nightly bread on sheer merit. Perhaps the big and easy money of the movies lias made them disloyal with their own art. 11 You don't look a day over 30 they said on my 43 rd birthday Imagine how delighted I was; and it was true, too. Yet keeping young looking has been so simple. I realised a long time ago that make-uD was a waste of time if my skin was dry and hard. So. I looked about for a foundation cream which besides being a good nongreasy powder base would give my skin the food to keep it supple and free from wrinkles. I found the ideal-Tokalon Vanishing Skin Food. Now, without spending any more time or effort than I would in using an ordinary cream, I keep my skin soft, smooth and white. With most women of my age, make-up is used to hide imperfeccions. With me it simply accentuates a youthful complexion — thanks to Tokalon Vanishing Skin Food. Ad. No.TTV. 2. 12