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!