FilmIndia (1946)

FILMINDI A November, 1946 Virendra Hazarnis began his film career as the right-hand man of Producer-director Baburao Patel in "Gvalan". But the other producers are now tempting him with the megaphone as his next birthday present. We wish him all luck. decided to give it to the world without blushing. In America at least there is no social stigma attached to the arts of the film and the stage, seeing that even the President's daughter can howl at you from behind the footlights. UNLUCKY ESCAPE The second film fire during the month of September in Lahore burst out in Lecla Mandir, a film studio on Ferozepur road. The damage was only Rs. 50,0001whieh according to standards ot film publicity, is likely to be exaggerated. It is unfortunate that the studio escaped being gutted completely to give us a hope of seeing a new modern studio in its place. CAGE FOR KANGAROOS Mr. Alexander, the Australian Film Censor, recently banned in Victoria a newereel depicting French bathing suits. It seems that the local kangaroos lost their poise and started hopping all over the place after seeing their contents of the bathing suits. Mr. Alexander is going to do something about this censoring business by re-organizing it on national standards so that the wild babies of kangaroo land don't get tin wrong feeding bottle to suck. In India the kangaroos had jumped on hack victorias and given devil dances in the streets of Bombay. But that was during war when they came to protect Indians and ended by giving a performance without any one censoring. GOING DOWN! The riots have now >tarted taking their toll in some of our film studios. With the cinemas closed during the last two months, there is not much water left in the well to draw ami it is not difficult to believe the news that the tall-talking, diminutive producer Baburao Pai has given the walking ticket to 50% of his employees at the Famous Studios in Cadell Road, Bombay. Several other studios are planning to follow this illu-trious example. SLOW BUT SURE Lala .lagat Narain, the wellknown tortoise-shaped distributor of the North, is now reported to have become a producer on his own to teach the old-stagers a few Biman Bannerjee plays the leading role in "Moti" a social picture of Navyug. M. R. Jaokar is a competent production man. He is there when you want him and Producer Baburao Patel found him useful in "Gvalan", a social story recently completed by him. tricks that do the trick with North Indian audiences. The name of the picture is not known yet but they say that it will be shot at the Shree Sound Studios in Bombay. We wish him all luck. WELL DONE, SHAH! W hen D. C. Shah, our veteran journalist and art critic, wants to work, he does it with an impres-ive vengeance as was evident from the Special Film Supplements edited by him for the "National Standard" and the 'Sunday Standard" on the occasion of the Diwali. Inducing the talkative ones to write and provoking the silent ones to think loudly, Shah has pulled in quite a representative crowd from the Indian film industry to make his Diwa'i Supplements admirably attractive in layout and contents. If only the other film Editors of our numerous dailies would occasionally take a few tips irom our old D. C. Shah, our newspapers would certainly provide more interesting reading material than they are doing at present. Newspapers don't need film editors to publish studio write-upa. Film editors are expected to do some original work to pay their way. 72