Probashi- Cover Story
Probashi- Cover Story
Reminiciences of a Film Fan knock on the gate would make him peep through the small opening of the Iron Gate , and a bundle of ‘ Chota Charkha ’ bidi would be slipped in by us as the password .
I have been a passionate film fan , but there are some who should get there name into the Hall of
Fame of Fans . There are two peoplee whom I would certainly recommend .
The first relates to my uncle whom we used to call “ Daktar Jetamoshai ”( doctor uncle ) ‐DJ. DJ ’ s era was that of silent films . Those days in 1920s films were considered an entertainment for the sweating masses and not for the polished gentry . DJ was a film bufff ; he was also a well known doctor in the city‐ to both roles were difficult reconcile . How to go to a cinema hall and sit with the rickshawallahs , daily wage labourers and waiters from nearby eateries the risk of being lampooned by his friends was huge if they came to know . He found an ingenious way to cut through the class divide‐ probably the first in cinema viewership . Silent movies were screened with live orchestra playing in the cinema hall for providing the sound effect . The orchestra had a special enclosure not accessible to generall audience . DJ would manage to get entry into the orchestra enclosure ( I am sure by bribing ) and would sit among the musicians and watch the film . DJ ’ s favourite was the hero named Rajan . Rajan must have been really popular , for when he would come on screen people would shower coins . The ikanni , duanni and chauani thrown by the audience would be a bounty for the sweepers . DJ told me of an instance when in a scene the heroine is shown sitting by a pond , feet dangling playfully in the water .
S uddenly two villains were seen approaching silently from behind . Till now the public was whistling and appreciating the glamorous actress on the screen . The sight of the villains approaching worried and enraged them . A shout from a really alarmed man in the audience reverberated through the hall ‘ Arey sasuri gana gawat hai . Dekh pichey kaun aay rahaa hai ‘ as if to warn the lady . Audience was getting more and more restless . Then from far behind the trees the hero RAJAN was seen galloping with his horse . The hall burst with applause , ‘ Aye Rajja , rajjanwa aye gawa ’. There was whistling and coin throwing ; the relief in the hall was palpable .
My second nominee to the Fans hall of fame is the person whom I saw at Nishat
Cinema , Allahabad . The nomination is for his ability to get a ticket under heavy odds . This was in the early sixties when I was a student . Nishat was patronised for cheap tickets which translated in really poor amenities at the hall including torn seats , stale smell and just bearable projection system . As I was passing
Nishat looking at the posters , I saw three young men waiting in front of a pan shop gauging the rush at the ticket counter for the matinee show . Then something very unusual happened , one of the men who was wearing a white spotless kurta payjamaa , undressedd to his underwear , and then very carefully folded his dress and placed it with utmost care on a cycle carrier under the watchful eyes of his friends .
The man then with a swagger ( Dabaang style
) started to move towards the ticket counter . He then climbed up the railings just opposite the ticket windoww , which had just a small opening to permit only two palms at a time . After
Cinema Cinema ( 1979 is the only film in the history of Indian Cienma which had the audience as the part of the film
. Directed by Krishna Shah , the setting of the film is a cinema hall where viewers are watching a film . The reaction of the audience to what is being shown on the screen and how they relate to the stars is the main highlight of the movie . A very brave experiment indeed !
riding on the railings the man put his palms on the opposite wall and tried to penetrate the clustered heads and push himself down for his tickets . It was a virtual airborne quest for a cinema ticket . Under regular push and pull , fisting abuses my man was undaunted . We did see rough scenes in such ticket counters on many occasions even in better halls , but this scene was unique . I was both thrilled and astonished at the way he was collecting his tickets aerially . After about 10 minutes of struggle he came down with tickets . With a big smile on his face like a gladiator he was back with his friends . After dressing up , he went to the pan shop had pan with jarda , arranged his dishelved hairs with pocket comb . The three then moved to the cycle stand as the last step before enteriing the hall Long live Indian cinema !