THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

Author(s): REGINALD MASSEY

Source: Journal of the Royal Society of Arts , MAY 1974, Vol. 122, No. 5214 (MAY
1974), pp. 369-381
Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and
Commerce

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 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

I The Henry Morley Lecture by I

Il REGINALD MASSEY, MA I
delivered to the Commonwealth Section of the Society
on Thursday 28th February 1974,
with H. J . Nimwegen, Deputy Director of Labour Relations ,
Film Production Association of Great Britain ,
in the Chair

The Chairman: Your cards clearly Cullen, and the other of approximately twenty
show that
minutes
the meeting to-day was to have been in length,
chaired by known as Glimpses of the
Indian Cinema
Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody. She is unable to be, made by B. D. Garga. Mr.
here because of the Election, so I am very Massey is a man of many talents. He is a writer
grateful for having been given the honourand
of a maker of short films and television produc-
introducing the speaker in her place. tions, and in addition he is an authority on
Indian music and dance. If, after the films, you
Mr. Massey will give you some of his thoughts,
wish to ask any questions of him, you will be
followed by two films; one a short called Two-
Minute Stcry which was written by Miss Pam welcome to do so.

The following lecture , which was illustrated with films , was then delivered

Interspersed with his foreign made films he

smaller place than we are often tempted showed some of the films that he himself had
T1HE to smaller believe,forworld
to believe, it is a place for hasfactthanof it is always we a are significant been often tempted a fact much of
significant made. The subjects he chose were movement
history that the cinema, one of the most orientated, such as a wrestling match or the
potent inventions of Western technology, training of circus monkeys. But what makes
arrived in India less than a year after the him an important figure is that he, perhaps
Lumières first exhibited their cinématographe intuitively, realized the importance of news-
in Paris. On 7th July 1896, a Lumière agent reel film. And what event better suited to
who had brought equipment and films with please his audience than the return from
him from France started showing his moving England of R. P. Pararijpye (famous in India
pictures at Watson's Hotel in Bombay. That as 'Wrangler Paranjpye') who had won high
was an important day in the social Jiistory honours at Cambridge ? Here was something
of the Indian peoples, as later events were to topical, something to stir the hearts of
prove. nationalist Indians - for Paranjpye had
The audiences at Watson's Hotel, and proved that the British rulers could be
later at the Novelty Theatre, were composed trounced on their home ground. Bhat-
mainly of British and European residents in vadekar's newsreel cocked a snook at the
Bombay. There were, however, a few British and it was rapturously received
Indians also and among them was one wherever he showed it. Two years later, in
Harischandra Sakharam Bhatvadekar, the 1903, as if to redress the balance, he made a
owner of a photographic studio. Bhatvadekar film on the Durbar connected with Edward
was so impressed that he ordered a projector, VII's coronation. Being a true man of the
a camera and films from London and became media, Bhatvadekar quite obviously liked to
a travelling exhibitor of imported films. hedge his bets.

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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS MAY 1974

A scene from Raja Harischandra (1913), the first feature film to be ma

The producer-director was Dadasaheb Phalke , the Father of the Indian fil
Based on a story from the Mahabharata, Raja Harischandra was 3,700

Other entrepreneurs had by tonethis

by atime
'reader' who was a respected and
plunged into the moving pictures well paidbusiness.
member of the cinema staff. Many
There was the energetic Abdulally of the Esoofally,
films were based on literary master-
who toured all over South-East Asia and pieces while others were 'action packed
India with his tent and projector showing thrillers'. They were extremely popular but
films of Queen Victoria's funeral, Lord there was nothing 'Indian' about them".
Roberts' triumphal march into Pretoria, India was waiting for an Indian film and
President McKinley's assassination and the moment found the man in Dadasaheb
other such 'wonderful draws'. Charles Pathé Phalke (1872-1944), a Maharashtrian
opened a branch in Bombay and, in the Brahmin of wide cultural interests. One
same city, the Italians Colonello and Christmas, while watching a film on the life
Cornaglia started the Excelsior Cinema. of Christ, he became possessed of the idea
In Calcutta also the cinema was becoming that what India needed was a film based on
the craze. Hiralal Sen filmed scenes from her own vast religious literature. Raising the
plays and showed them as added attractions money with great difficulty, Phalke journeyed
after the stage performances, and J. F. to England to buy film-making equipment
Madan in 1907 built his Elphinstone Picture and raw stock and while here he sought the
Palace. By 19 10, there were cinema halls in advice of a number of film makers. Phalke
all the main cities. Indeed, within sixteen chose the story of Raja Harischandra from
years the cinema had become an established the Mahabharata , the Indian epic. It was a
part of city life in India. legend to do with honour, sacrifice and
The films, however, were largely of mighty deeds. Thus the first Indian feature
foreign origin - French, British, American,film, 3,700 feet long, was released in 1913
Italian, German and Danish. It was an and exceeded even Phalke's expectations of
amazingly cosmopolitan scene. During the success. Raja Harischandra was followed by
showings a translation of the subtitles was other films also based on Indian mythology.
recited aloud in the appropriate mood and The popularity of the 'mythologicals' was a

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MAY I974 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

phenomenon quite made important unique

contributions were toDebakiIndia.
masses had hitherto Bose, whose С only
bandidas, telling
heard
the story of of th
and demons in poetry the sixteenth-centuryandpoet, wassong;
a landmark, now
they could see them and Birendra Nath - Sircar,
they who founded New
could wi
before their very Theatres
eyesLtd. the revelations
divine will. When Krishna
The First appeared
World War caused the cut down
screen, for instance, people
of the British and European film would
industries, join
hands in respectful and the Americans,attitude
who entered the war and on
slaying of a demon during its lastthere
stage, becamewould
the world's be t
derous applause. Even
chief film to-day
producers. The result was that the 'm
ological' has its after the war the whole world was being
public.
Phalke was a man cateredoffor byenormous
the big Hollywood studios. vitality
supervised every The British
aspect industry was of
particularly
his badly produ
with painstaking hit and
careit irked Britain
and to seeattention.
that not only H
helped throughout the British byhome market
his butdevoted
the Indian wi
family who, besides market as well was now dominated
acting, built by the
sets, w
the cameras and assisted in the laboratory. Americans. The figures are revealing : by the
The Phalke company was the Phalke family, mid- 1 920s India was making more feature
and they produced about a hundred films. films than Britain and yet this satisfied only
It is no wonder, therefore, that the head of 15 per cent of the demand; 85 per cent of the
the family, Dadasaheb, is recognized as the releases in India were mainly American. In
Father of the Indian film industry. Britain the American percentage was much
Investors, seeing from Phalke's example higher. To put an end to the rapid extinction
that there was profit in films, now poured of the British film industry, the Cinemato-
money into production companies. The flow graph Films Act of 1927 promulgated that
of capital into these new ventures made the of the films exhibited in the United Kingdom
government sit up and take notice, and in 1 9 1 8 a minimum of 5 per cent should be British
the Indian Cinematograph Act, which gave produced. The quota was to be raised to
legal recognition to the industry, was passed. 20 per cent within a few years. These
During this time great things were happen- measures saved the British film industry
ing in Bengal. The renaissance of the arts in the nick of time for, from making 26 films
was in full flower and under the leadership in 1926, Britain made 153 in 1932. India's
of Tagore much literature, music, painting, film industry, on the other hand, was not to
ballet and drama was being produced. A new be so fortunate.
spirit of idealism had entered into the India became, in effect, the dumping
consciousness of the educated youth of ground for American films that had already
Bengal and from among these a few moved made handsome profits in other markets.
into films. J. F. Madan, mentioned earlier, The prints sent to India were usually worn
who now owned a string of cinema halls in out or damaged and this meant that their
Calcutta, started producing films. His firstproducers or distributors did not mind
film, Naia Damayanti (1917), which was letting Indian exhibitors have these discarded
based on an ancient Indian love story, had prints at nominal prices. But since about
an Italian actor and actress playing the 85 per cent of feature films shown in India
leading rôles. It was a financial success andwere American these nominal prices added
Madan invited the brilliant mime Dhiren up to vast amounts and represented, for
Ganguly to join him in filming a Tagore their producers, extra profit for no capital
play. This unfortunately did not happen as outlay whatsoever. The pickings were rich
Ganguly, getting other finance, decided to and in 1916 Universal Pictures Corporation
do something nearer his heart, namely, established an agency in India with other
social satire. As things turned out this was a American producers quickly following suit.
wise decision on Ganguly's part; his England Such a state of affairs was to have a disas-
Returned , which held the Westernized Indian trous effect on the Indian made movie,
up to ridicule, established a new genre of which had to recover its production costs in
film in India. Ganguly followed this up with India and therefore worked out far more
titles such as The Lady Teacher , The Step- expensive for the exhibitor - hence the
mother, and The Marriage Tonic , films that anomaly in India that the Indian exhibitor
made him the leading social satirist in the found it more profitable to screen foreign
country. Other Bengali intellectuals who rather than Indian films.
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 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS MAY 1974

During the Imperial Conference of he

co-productions; and 1926
was in love. The
many fears were expressed youngabout the
lady, Devika Ranipre-
Chaudhury, was a
ponderance of American films rare beautyin
whothe British
had been sent to England for
Empire and a resolution was passed that her schooling, was richly talented, and
steps should be taken to ensure that 'Empire' numbered Tagore amongst her illustrious
films were encouraged in the Empire. There relations. What is more, she adored Rai.
was also concern in Britain about the effect Soon they were married and embarked upon
of cheap American films on the Indian mind, a rewarding and exciting life together. Rai
namely, that these films showed the worst got the Emelka Company of Munich to
aspects of Western civilization and therefore collaborate with the Great Eastern Film
discredited that civilization in the estimation Corporation of the Punjab to produce The
of the natives. One prominent bishop voicedLight of Asia. The film was based on a long
the opinion that these films degraded the poem of the same name by Sir Edwin
white woman in the eyes of the Indians. In Arnold and dealt with the life of the Buddha,
1927, therefore, the Government of India Released in 1925, it had a Royal Command
appointed a Cinematograph Committee to Performance in London. Rai followed this
study the whole question of films in India. up with two more films, the first financed by
It had very wide, and at times elusive, terms Emelka and the second by UFA. He now
of reference and was not a specific inquiry took another giant stride: he made his first
into the Indian film industry as such. The sound film and shot it in two languages,
committee comprised six members, three English and Hindi. The film, Karma , was
British and three Indians. One of the Indians, financed by British capital and had Rai and
Dewan Bahadur Rangachariar, was the his wife Devika Rani playing the leading
chairman. They toured all over the country, rôles. The English version was released in
conducted interviews, held hearings, visited London in 1933 and Devika Rani was imme-
studios, attended film shows. The result of diately hailed as an international star. She
their labours was printed in five volumes and had offers from Hollywood and Germany
much of it makes fascinating reading. They but refused them ; the Rais packed their bags,
spent, for example, a considerable amount collected their film cans, and sailed for home.
of time examining the problem of censorship In India they founded Bombay Talkies,
in India and what emerged was a tangled which was to bring out a number of notable
skein of Hindu-Muslim susceptibilities, films dealing with social and economic ques-
moral indignation, official fears of politically tions. Outstanding among these was Achhut
slanted films, and Indian concern about the Капу a ( Untouchable Girl ) which told of the
new depravity from the West. The report love of a Brahmin boy and a low caste
the committee submitted contained a number girl.
of worth while suggestions such as the Two years before the Rais came back to
establishment of a government film libraryIndia the first Indian sound feature, Alam
and the floating of a finance fund to helpAra {Beauty of the World), directed by
producers. On the question of a quota for Ardeshir Irani, had been released. The pre-
Indian made films the committee divided cise date was 14th March 193 1, and it was a
evenly: the Indians were for it, the British
turning point for the film industry in India.
against it. As it happened the Government Talkies were produced in many Indian lan-
did nothing about the committee's report. guages
It and some of the silent film successes
survives as an important document on India'swere re-made as sound films. Chandulal
social history. Shah, for instance, who had produced the
In short, there was official apathy. Things
first Indian social film, Gun Sundari (Why
were, nevertheless, moving in India and Husbands Go Astray ), now re-made it iii
abroad; and a key figure in the drama was three languages; and P. C. Barua, who had
Himansu Rai who, after studying under a high reputation as a maker of silent films,
Tagore for a while, was sent to London by now turned his talents to sound and pro-
his family to study law at the Inner Temple.duced Devdas , a classic of the Indian cinema.
In London he got involved with the theatre With rising confidence Indian producers
after his debut on the West End stage as an began showing their work at international
extra in Chu Chin Chow . From then on there festivals and in 1937, in Venice, an Indian
was no holding him back. He wanted to film won a festival award for the very first
make a series of films on the world's majortime. The film, S ant Tukaram ( Saint Tuka -
religions; he had plans for international ram' was produced by V. Shantaram's

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 MAY 1974 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

U day Shankar's Kalpana ( 1948 ) was a ha

Shankar , in the foreground , directed an

Prabhat Film Company and directed by India's rich heritage of music and dance,
V. Damle and S. Fatehlal. both classical and folk, was vulgarized and
Why was the introduction of soundhybridized so by the film makers. Poetry be-
important and why has it had such came far- a matter of facile rhyming and word
reaching consequences in India? Sound, play. The various forms of folk drama
first and foremost, gave to the Indian film anthroughout the length and breadth of India
immunity from foreign competition. No were severely hit and neglected as their
matter how good a foreign film might be, theaudiences moved over to watching the ex-
Indian public (or any other public for thatploits of screen idols. Ancient India, unlike
matter) would prefer to see a film in theirGreece, had no tragic drama: how could
own language. Thus the Indian producer there be a sense of tragedy when life was
gained a secure home market, and it was amaya> illusion, or only a transmigratory
market of millions who had no other form of stage on to another existence ? In a curious
entertainment. Paradoxically, the percentage way the film presented to the illiterate masses
of American films in the Indian market a view of the world to which their innermost
declined rapidly as soon as sound film,beings
the responded. And so, without being
result of American technology, came to aware of it, the movie makers became the
India. heirs of the great Sanskrit dramatists. There
Indian theatre from ancient times was an were, of course, exceptions: Devdas had a
amalgam of dance, drama, music and poetry, tragic ending and Achhut Kanya dealt with
and the sound film was able to incorporate a love affair across the caste barrier, stories
all these elements with ease. Films were which would have been unthinkable only a
made around a series of happy coincidences few years earlier. But then both these films
that lent themselves to bursts of song. wereAlammade by exceptional men.
Ara had a mere dozen songs, but as the It is intellectually fashionable in India and
demand for 'lyrics' increased, films were abroad to accuse Indian films of being
made with 40 and even 60 songs. Some films escapist. I suggest that they are no more
had hardly any plot or story line and most escapist than reading novels, watching tele-
of them were crude musical dramas. Apart vision, going to the theatre or holidaying in
from the two stars in a film the other a crammed Mediterranean seaside resort.
And what is intrinsically wrong with
important people were the 'musical director',
escapism?
the ťpoeť or 'lyric writer', the dancer, the There would be economic dis-
aster
dialogue writer whose business it was toin the affluent countries if the leisure
industries were to shut down. In India the
provide the hero and heroine with passion-
ate, devotional or heart-rending lines,needandof the common man to get away from
the difficult conditions of his daily existence
the costumier. Film direction, as a craft,
is the more pressing and, indeed, psycho-
was neglected. The effect of this cheap form
of mass entertainment was cataclysmic.logically desirable. At the same time - and
The Indian theatre which was being this re- has not received as much attention as it
might - Indian films by their incessant
born with Tagore was all but extinguished
by the flood of trash from the studios.
portrayal of the life style of the rich and the

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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS MAY I974

Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in Do Bigha Zamin (1955), which won the Pri
at Cannes in the following year. The film's director , Bimal Roy , is credited w
introduced neo-realism into Indian films

leisured have slowly been generating the Bombay social

producers have, over the years
and economic discontent. Also, evolved by showing a only call a national film
what one can
plethora of consumer goods on the screen
language. It is a mongrel creation of Hindi,
they are, albeit unintentionally, Urdu,creating a Marathi with a sprink-
English, and
demand for them. Films with messages are, or any other Indian
ling from Gujarati,
by and large, nauseating and are certain
language, as andofwhen required. The purists
failure? at the box office. Fortunately India
abominate this film language. The Govern-
has had few of these. What she has had in ment, on its part, likes to call this language
recent years is a goodly number of films in on the grounds that since it is more
'Hindi'
which the maker has committed himself to a widely understood than any other Indian
definite point of view. Among these the language it must be Hindi. The fact is that
following outstanding films must be men- the Bombay film industry has hit upon a
tioned: Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar , the means of mass communication and for this
Grand Prix at Cannes in 1946; Khwaja no small achievement the country must be
Ahmed Abbas' Naya Sansar , Dharti-ke-Lal, grateful. 'Hindi' films are now made in
and Munna , the last two being well receivedMadras, the centre of the Tamil-speaking
abroad; Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin , Prix world (Tamil is spoken in some other coun-
International at Cannes in 1954; Raj tries apart from India), and that is saying
Kapoor's Jagtay Raho , the Grand Prix atsomething about national integration in
Karlovy Vary in 1957; ai*d V. Shantaram's India.
Do Ankhen Bar ah Haath. The Indian film industry has one credit-
India's many languages have always posed able feature that makes it unique. It is
a multitude of problems. How much of completely
a democratic and secular. It has
chance does a Tamil film have in Delhi or a working in it 200,000 men and women of
Bengali film in Kerala ? Nil would be a fair every possible background, caste, religion,
answer. To surmount this polyglot situation and political belief. Those in India, in

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 MAY I974 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

The archetypal woman is portrayed in Mother In

by Nargis , the country's leading actress at th
The producer-director was Mehboob Kh

government and out They

of vied
it, who
with throw
each other to entice the stones
stars
at the industry would dothewell
away from to
studios and wereremember
in a position
this. Those in power especially,
to pay them large fees. Whatwho never
is more, this
tire of delivering sanctimonious admonitions
new generation of film producers was pre-
to the industry on the pared 'demoralizing
to pay its stars a certain parteffects'
of their
of films, might also fees like in 'white' money, which was to that
to remember be of
the Rs.1600 million (£80 million) gross declared and was taxable, and the rest in
annual earning of the industry 54 per cent'black' money, which was not declared, for
goes to the state in taxes. which there was no receipt, and which was
There are, nevertheless, some serious ills therefore tax-free. In some cases up to
that afflict the industry, and among the 75 per cent of a star's fee was in taxrfree
worst of these is the star system with its 'black' money. India at that time was under
allied problem of 'black' money. The star British rule and avoidance of paying taxes to
system started in India long before the the Government was not only a convenient
Second World War, but at that time the means of amassing wealth but also regarded
stars were paid monthly salaries by the big as patriotic in some circles. Unfortunately
studios. During the war there was a control habits, once formed, die hard and the stars
on raw stock, and film production was re-persisted with their tax evasions even when
stricted. There was, at the same time, an a popularly elected Indian Government came
increase in the volume of money and indus- to power. To-day the stars have pushed up
trialists who had black market money on their fees to such an extent that it is common
their hands were eager to invest it in films. for producers to allocate half the total budget

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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS MAY 1974

Vyjanthimala and Dilip Kumar in Bimal Roy's Madhumati (195#

a story of love and re-birth

of a film to the two leading players. Two other proposals

The made by the com-
Film Inquiry Committee of 1949 mittee deplored
were also implemented. In 1961, the
the star system and about 'black' Film andmoney
Television Institute of India was
payments it sorrowfully notedstarted that ťin. Poona
. . the and in 1963 a Film Export
evil is more widespread thanCorporation is generally was set up. Their most im-
realized and deserves thorough portant proposal, however, which was to
investigation'.
S. K. Patii, the chairman of this committee,
establish a Film Council of India to regulate
was well known in India as a strong and superintend
man the and industry, has still not
it was uncharacteristic of him beento stand
realized. byas November last year
As late
wringing his hands in despair. B. K. Karanjia, in his magazine Film/are ,
The Patii committee also reported was urging that
the government to constitute a
producers were forced to borrow money
Film Council at appropriate authority
with the
an interest rate of up to 100and per cent per
powers.
annum. This crippled young independent No survey of the Indian film industry can
producers of talent. They therefore ignore the recom-
complicated and confusing pro-
mended the setting up of a Film blem ofFinance
censorship. (The Indian public, for
Corporation, like the one in the United example, is permitted to see kissing in
Kingdom, to help those with worth while foreign films but may not see kissing in
projects. This organization was established, Indian films.) Censorship started under the
and the present chairman is B. K. Karanjia. Raj, and the Cinematograph Committee of
Even the FFC's sternest critics are agreed 1927 had studied the matter in great detail.
that films such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan's The industry hoped that with independence
Swayamwaram and M. S. Sathyu's Garm things would get better. But things got
Hava , which were recently financed by the immeasurably worse ; the men who ran the
Corporation, are of the highest merit. government were generally of Victorian

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MAY I974 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

The problem of caste has often been treated in Indian

this social injustice was Sujata (/959), starring Sun
Untouchable girl brought up in a Brahmin family w
understatement

Mughal-é-Azam {i960) was one of the costliest films to be made in India . The veteran actor
Prithviraj Kapoor played Akbar the Great and Dilip Kumar his son Salim. Here the
emperor confronts the prince about his association with the courtesan Anarkali.
Producer-director: K. Asif

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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS MAY I974

Satyajit Ray's Charulata ( 1964 ), based on a story by Tag ore, epitomizes the gr
preference for 'open endings' in order to exercise the thoughts and emotions of
Charu , the lonely wife , discovers understanding and love when her husband's
to live with them. But was not the politically committed husband at least p
blame for his wife's unfaithfulness ?

mould and some of the Mrs. Grundy and sociallyssignificant,

had films. Ray was very
enormous power. The censorship lawsby
impressed have
the Italian neo-realists and he
been successively tightened since read indepen-
every available book on theory, tech-
dence and the Central Board of Film Cen- nique and scripting. Since he had had no
sors, which began its work in 195 1, istraining
the of any sort in any branch of film
body responsible for seeing that these work,
laws Ray set about the task of teaching
himself. Before seeing a well known film he
are not infringed. The decisions of the board
are often erratic and, at times, ridiculous would
but read the book on which it was based
no way has yet been found of rectifyingand, thisas an exercise, write out a complete
screenplay. He would then watch the film
sorry situation. After the report of the latest
committee on censorship, under G. D. and make notes as to where his screen adapt-
Khosla, one wonders how much stricter and ation was better or worse than the film. Ray
sillier the Censors will now become. then bought the rights of Pather Panchali , a
During all this time - unknown to the well known Bengali novel by Bibhuti Bhusan
movie moguls, the bureaucrats and the carpet- Bannerj ее.
baggers - a Bengali intellectual was planning The question as to where the money to
a one-man revolution. For years Satyajit Ray make the film would come from remained
had been preparing himself to become a unsolved. Investors were unimpressed by
maker of films. While working as a suc- the detailed shooting script and the sketches
cessful artist with a British advertising that Ray presented to them. How could they
agency in Calcutta he started a film societyback a man, no matter how persuasive, who
which was made up of enthusiasts who had no film experience let alone film suc-
wanted to see and discuss experimental, art,cesses, who wanted to make a film without

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MAY I974 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

stars, without hit 'dispelled the long-heldand

songs feeling that India
without
dances? Ray, however, was unlikely to produce a great film'. produ
started
His salary from the After Pather Panchali Ray made a number
advertising agenc
poured into the of film; he
great films, his latestsold his
being Ashani Sänket ,book
personal belongings; and it is hishis
genius that
wife has madesold
the world her
lery. John Huston, aware ofwhoIndia as a film-producing
was visiting country. In
the time, saw a He few has inspired such tremendous talents
sequences that as Ra
filmed and suggested Asit Sen, Tapanto Sinha, Monroe
Rajen Tarafdar, Whee
New York's Museum of Modern Art that he Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak and a host of
might like to show the film during the others who, hitherto, were involved only
museum's forthcoming exhibition on India. with commercially successful films.
It was precisely at this moment that Ray's India, with four hundred films every year,
money ran out and the film came to a stand-is in terms of quantity one of the world's
still. At this stage the then government oíleading film producing countries. With a
forward-looking minister like I. K. Gujral
West Bengal, to its credit, was persuaded to
now responsible for the industry, and a
put up Rs.200,000 (£10,000) so that the film
could be completed. The film was premièred whole new generation of film makers at
at the Museum of Modern Art, and, later, work,
it the quality of films in general is un-
won the 'Best human document' award at doubtedly improving. I see no reason to
Cannes. Marie Seton in her authoritative book
despair. I have the fullest confidence in the
on Ray succinctly says that Pather Panchalifuture of the film industry in India.

DISCUSSION

Mr. D. H. Josef: I was thrilled to see some I as such in India plays a leading part in the film
I industry. Some of the leading producers, actors
films you showed which I used to see in India.
In about 1939 a very important film was madeand directors are Muslims. So there is no ques-
entitled Gaon-Ki-Gori {The Village Girl). One tion of films not being acceptable to the Muslims
song in that film was so wonderful, it is still in India. In fact even in Pakistan the film
ringing in my ears ; and the film could thrill evenindustry is flourishing.
now, not only an Indian audience, but the world
Mr. Vincent Potter, ma: I wonder if
abroad. I am still searching, unsuccessfully, for
Mr. Massey could tell us a little more about the
a copy of that film.
Indian Film Finance Corporation, its practices
The Lecturer: I haven't seen this film, but and its policies ?
I have heard of it and I have heard the song
The Lecturer: The Film Finance Cor-
alluded to. There is one organization in India
that will almost certainly have a print : the Film
poration in India was inspired by a similar
and Television Institute in Poona. They have organization in this country. It is not unusual
the national archive of Indian films. for things in India to be inspired by what
happens in this country, good or bad! However,
Mr. Josef: A gramophone record was pro- the plan was that with a floating capital of ten
duced by the Columbia Recording Company at million rupees, a Corporation would be set up,
Calcutta. under B. K. Karanjia (who is the Editor of an
important film magazine in India and has high
The Lecturer: When the Film Archive of level contacts in and out of Government), to
India was constituted, it was laid down that anyfinance worth while projects. The intention was
film of historic importance must be deposited to break the monopoly of the film financiers,
there. who charge up to 100 per cent per annum on a
loan for a film. Worth while projects were to be
Mr. Ambrose Appelbe, ma, llb, fria:
considered on their merits by the Film Finance
Are films acceptable to Islamic India? Photo-
Corporation and money advanced to indepen-
graphs were forbidden.
dent producers. This they have done over the
The Lecturer: The Islamic religion does years. I mentioned two films, one a Malayalam
not look with favour on the portrayal of God, orfilm directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and the
the prophet Mohammed, but films certainly other an Urdu film, Garm Hava , which deals
have been popular with Muslims in India. Alam with a subject which no producer in India would
Ara , the first Indian feature film in sound, touch to-day: a Muslim family in Agra at the
released in 1931, featured in the starring rôle atime of Partition, facing the dilemma of whether
Muslim princess called Zubeida, who came fromthey should migrate to Pakistan or stay in India.
a state in Northern India. She broke all the Many FFC-backed films do, in fact, make
conventions in the film. The MusKm communitymoney on the commercial circuits.

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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS MAY 1974

The Chairman: I have seen quite a few seem, to Western eyes, the rather stilted acting
FFC films over in India and here at Festivals
in the early Indian films. One may be distracted
and so forth. Whilst they are on the wholebyofthis
a regardless of any philosophic or artistic
fairly modest kind, they are of great assistance
merit in the story itself. This is my own feeling.
to independent producers in India. Certainly
from what I have seen the FFC is doing an Mrs. J. B. Whitcut, ma: Is there a great
excellent job. dubbing industry either for foreign films or for
the various Indian languages ?
Mr. J. K. Thompson, cmg (Common-
wealth Institute): Thinking of the excellent The Lecturer: There is a lot of dubbing,
though having seen the sound labs in which
documentary films that have been entered from
India for the Royal Society of Arts Common-some of the technicians in Bombay and Madras
wealth Film Award, could I ask whether therehave to work, I think it is a miracle that they do
any dubbing at all! By foreign films I suppose
has been any deliberate policy to make the kind
of documentary film which has a direct valueyoutomean films in English ? One or two Indian
primary and secondary education ? films were originally in English. Himansu Rai,
whom I mentioned in my lecture, produced
The Lecturer: This is one area neglected Karma in English. One of the things that
in India. Educational films are few and far impressed the papers in London was that Devika
between. The Films Division basically produces Rani spoke such excellent English. But until
documentaries of general interest; dealing, Indianforfilms develop a normal channel for
example, with the Five-Year Plan, or with foreign exhibition, and legal distribution abroad,
national problems. I do feel that this is one areaI don't think there will be any real interest in the
that should be looked into. It is a question of dubbing of films into foreign languages.
money, really.
Mrs. Whitcut: It is interesting that it
Mr. R. B. W. Haines: What effect is tele- shouldn't be necessary to dub into Tamil, for
vision, which is still very young in India, instance.
expected to have on the film industry there?
Secondly, do any films in India have no music, The Lecturer: For a Hindi film to be
singing or dancing ? dubbed into Tamil? The reason is that the
producer of the Hindi film has such a vast
The Lecturer: This is a question which I audience that he doesn't have to bother about
discussed in India recently with film makers.the Tamil territory as such.
Television in India is at a very basic stage. I
don't think that it will pose any serious threat to Mr. Manik Sandrasagra: I have just
films for the next ten years. Also, one mustbeen associated with Dimitri de Grunewald in a
remember that the climatic conditions are some- co-production of The God King in Sri Lanka.
what different from those in Western Europe;We are thinking of similar films, Anglo-Indian
whereas in this country we can sit and enjoy aco-productions, in India. I wonder why there is
television programme in the privacy of oursuch reluctance on the part of the Indian
living-room, it is not so in India, because of theGovernment. It has the effect of 'deterring
heat there. People prefer to go into an air- foreign film makers from going to India.
conditioned cinema hall to spend three or four
The Lecturer: I am not a representative
hours in comparative comfort enjoying them-
selves in a group. Group entertainment is of the Indian Government and cannot speak on
their behalf, but only for myself and for one or
important in the Indian ethos.
two of my associates, such as Mr. Pyaré Shivpuri,
I don't think that there will ever be a day
when an Indian film for a mass audience will be who are connected with the film industry. Co-
completely dissociated from music and dance. production in India usually implies the use of
frozen assets. The fact of the matter is that vast
It is part of the heritage of Indian films. This is
not to say that good films have not been made amounts of money have been frozen in India by
without music or dance. the Indian Government - money which the
Indian Government thinks was earned in India
Dr. A. P. Brain: You mentioned the pro-and therefore should be spent in India. This
ductions from the Mahabharata. Could this money was earned by foreign film companies
from the exhibition of their films in India. The
representation possibly be provided with English
sub-titles ? There might be an audience for money
it in is safe there, and it is meant for film
this country. production or work allied to film production.
So co-production depends on whether you can
The Lecturer: Many of the silent films persuade the Indian Government to allow you
did have sub-titles in English. It is a question of to use that money!
digging them out from the National Film The Indian Government, I think rightly,
Archive at Poona. As to the interest of people indon't want India to become a free area for
this country or in the United States, that isforeign producers who wish to make exotic films
rather problematical because of what would using India as a colourful background. No

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MAY I974 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

country with any you are going to shoot, and indeed

self-respect wouldthat what you
allow
On the other hand, takeIoutagree
of the countrywithis what you
you told them
that t
are some officials in New Delhi who are luke- you were going to film there.
warm towards any proposals from abroad. One
should not forget the case of a film which was Mr. Josef: In my younger days I saw films
approved by the Indian Government and about in India in which even kissing was not allowed.
which there are rumours - it is said that one I don't know how far they have progressed from
that stage to a realistic kissing act ? Incidentally
script was approved and quite another was shot.
It is, therefore, quite understandable thatI am
thenot a film-maker - I am a retired school-
Indian Government are careful about this. It master.

was once jokingly said to me that if you want to

get a script passed by the Indian GovernmentThe Lecturer: Whether one progresses'
from non-kissing to kissing or from kissing to
you must make sure that Mrs. Gandhi's initials
are on every page ! non-kissing is, I think, a matter of personal
judgement! There isn't any kissing in Indian
The Chairman: The reluctance of either
films in India, but one should remember that
side to participate in co-production and co-early Indian films did have kissing in
several
financing depends a great deal on thethem.
person
The censors allowed it. It was only later,
proposing it, the project proposed and the
ofperson
course, that the embargo came.
it is proposed to. I súpose one could accuse civil
servants anywhere of being reluctant, but The Chairman: To have a flourishing film
if you
industry you need people to go to cinemas, and
have an enthusiastic partner in the other country
then perhaps you can overcome this hurdle. I canI assure
am you that people in India certainly
not speaking on behalf of any government, go tobut
cinemas in greàt numbers.
on behalf of British film makers who are cer- I should now like to propose a vote of thanks
to our very able lecturer.
tainly contemplating making more films in India.
But Mr. Massey's comment is a valid one - if
you wish to film in India you have to make The meeting concluded with the usual expressions
certain that the Government agree with what
of thanks to the Lecturer and Chairman .

381

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