FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

flay. 1949 FILM I N Dt A Suraiya and Geeta Bali make a splendid learn in "Bari Bahen" a social picture produced by Famous Pictures. SOME CHANGE ! Hollywood, March 25. Recently chosen as "Miss Alaska" in an Eskimo beauty contest, Miss Quianna is the first Eskimo girl to feature in a Hollywood picture called "Arctic Manhunt"'. Now that the "'hunt" is on, we expect to see more Eskimo belles in Hollywood pictures in future. Some relief from Hedys and Hayworths. BRITISH FILM SCORE ! Hollywood. April 3. At the recent annual voting of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Hollywood. Sir Laurence Olivier won laurels as the "best actor of the year" for his performance in "Hamlet", and Jane \^ yman as the "best actress of the year", for her performance in "Johnnv Belinda". The best film of the year was "Hamlet", produced by Sir Laurence Olivier. "Hamlet" also received three minor prizes — for black and white art direction, for black and white set direction and for black and white costume design. Mr. J. Arthur Rank's film. "The Red Shoes" won an Oscar for "the best picture for a colour production" and the prize for "the best musical score of any domestic or foreign picture. A LION AT REST '. Chandramohan Bombay, April 2. Chandramohan, the great character actor of Indian films, died of heart failure at his residence. Bilkha House, in Bombay, at 10-15 A.M. on Saturday 2nd April 1949. Blessed with a dynamic personality, a pair of unique eyes and a remarkable talent for acting and diction, Chandramohan easily reached the top of his career without the help of any producer or director. His versatile personality as a superb character-actor lent caste to many an ambitious director who, after a single great performance by Chandramohan, was himself recognized as a filmcraftsman. Born on the 24th July 1906 at Xarsinghpur in the Central Provinces, Chandramohan Y\ atal belonged to a cultured family of Kashmiri Pundits. After a good education, he took up work with a film distributing firm in Delhi and during one of his business tours was picked up by the Prabhat Film Company of Poona to star in their picture. "Amrit Manthan". Syed Fateh Lai, the great artist of Prabhat, was so much fascinated by Chandramohan"? unique eyes that he would sit for hours looking at them wondering how they would be received on the screen. With his very first picture, Chandramohan arrived and was soon hailed as the greatest character-actor of the Indian screen. After "Amrit Manthan", he worked in numerous pictures, some of his big hits being: "Dharmatma", "Amar Jyoti". "Pukar", "Draupadi". "Shaheed"" and "Shakuntala". Leonine in bearing and noble in character. Chandramohan was recognized as a great friend and sportsman to whom all rushed in their hour of need. Never again will this great actor be replaced. For. the lambs of the day can never reach the stature of the lion that died. May his soul rest in peace ! MISUSED ! Moscow. April 7. It is reported that the "Children of the Earth" an Indian picture directed by K. Ahmed Abbas, had its preview in Moscow on the night of 5th April at the Soviet Ministry of Cinematography. It was, of course, a private snowing to the Soviet officials. The Soviet evening newspaper "Yechcaniaia Moskva" said the film "shows the hard and hopeless life of the Indian peasant". Thus the Indian Government unwittingly provided to the Soviets one more argument for Communism in India. Why can't we scrutinize our films from all angles before letting them go out of the country? 59