FilmIndia (1946)

December, 1946 FILMINDIA Husna makes a good impression in "Bhookh", pro duced and directed by Dr. Safdar "Ah". Motion picture criticism is a specialized field where the hest of our politicians must remain clumsy amateurs unless they devote years to the study of motion picture art and its criticism. BRAVO! LUCKNOW STUDENTS! On 30th October 1946, the students of Lucknow University decided to end profiteering by cinema owners and peacefully picketed four cinema theatres in the city demanding 50% reduction in admission charges for students and the discontinuance of the British Anthem at the end of the programmes. The theatre managers probably outraged by the perfectly legitimate demands and peaceful behaviour of the students, pulled down their shutters for the day and called for police protection. The Congress Ministry in the United Provinces obliged the theatre-owners with armed guards. The stage was thus set for trouble. Backed by their just demands the students objected to the' parade of armed force against them. Backed by the theatre-owners the police soon made a lathi charge on the unarmed students in an attempt to disperse them. Very soon 300 students were put under arrest and marched to the District Jail. This, however, did not stop the students. They staged a general strike next day, closed all schools aW corteges and held" a mass meeting of all students. At the meeting they condemned the lathi charge and the arrests, demanded dismissal of the Police Superintendent and reiterated their demands from the theatre-owners. Two days later, on the 3rd of November, the Congress Ministry, realizing discretion to be better part of valour, unconditionally released all the students from the District Jail. Bravo, students of Lucknow! But what about their just demands? Are the exhibitors to be allowed to continue their profiteering? It is a patent fact that theatre-owners, without any rhyme or reason, had increased their admission rates by 100% during the war. Not that they had provided any extra amenities to the film goers in lieu of this increase. On the other hand theatres in the country are in worse condition today than ever before. The increase in rates was merely to catch up with the high tide of inflation generally prevalent in the country. It did not help to give us better showmanship. It just contributed to make the theatre-owners extremely rich. One exhibitor in Bombay, an owner of several theatres, has become a multi-millionaire in seven years. And ten years back the man was a little better than a door-keeper. Very much same is the case with all the exhibitors in the country. They have fattened on the misfortunes of our people. These people must be compelled to bring down admission prices to pre-war level. But we cannot expect the Congress Ministries to do tills by any legislative act, They have neither the desire nor the power to do so. This result has to be achieved by popular agitation and the Lucknow students made a good beginning by peacefully picketing the four theatres. The local police had no business to interfere with peaceful picketers who had a thoroughly just and moral grievance. The profiteers will climb down only when their pockets are pinched and one way to do it is by peaceful picketing of their theatres all over the country subject, of course, to local legal restrictions imposed by the authorities to quell riots. So long as the students observe all local restriction-, imposed owing to the present abnormal conditions, the authorities have no right whatsoever to provoke the students by the wanton use of the water hose, the baton and the lathi. Peaceful picketing, as a remedy for a public grievance, is a Congress gift to the nation and it is a shame that Congress ministries should now penalize the very method they once popularized as an unarmed person's privilege of peaceful protest. We would like the students in other parts of the country to take up this idea, of course, with the strict observance of all the conditions for peaceful picketing. For the present, stations which have become riot spots should be dropped but the popular I!