Osian's Auction Catalogue ABC Series III | March 2007

ABC Series III 154 ‘‘‘Film actors are all pimps and lm actresses are all prostitutes.’’ Under this headline a Hindi magazine from Calcutta has published an article the contents and the tone of which can very well be imagined. It is not necessary to soil the pages of Filmindia with further extracts from it. It is an insignicant little paper and we would not have mentioned it, were it not for the fact that the views expressed in the article reect a fairly general notion prevalent not only in India but, to a lesser or greater extent, throughout the world.’ Baburao Patel. Editorial, Filmindia , May 1940; Vol 6, p.3 178 Filmindia Magazine (1940–1941) A set of Filmindia Magazines covering the Indian lm industry 1940 – 1941 Each 11.2 x 8.8 in (28.5 x 22.3 cm) INR 30,000 – 37,500 USD 700 – 850 (Set of 11) ‘With the advent of the talkies in 1931 with a costume fantasy Alam Ara starring the Indian Douglas Fairbanks Master Vithal and Zubeida, swashbuckling sagas caught on with the public, the classic example of which is Hatimtai, rst made as a four- part series by G.R. Sethi in 1933 and several remakes thereafter. It had magic, romance, songs, dances, ghts and action – in short, the works. It was reported about these lms that “cases of singing before drawing a word to ght are not common”.’ Deepa Gahlot. Genres of Indian Cinema ; p.52 179 Hatim Tai A hand-painted Photographic Still Mounted on Lobby Card (PHL) of Homi Wadia’s 1956 lm 24.3 x 18.5 in (61.8 x 47.1 cm) INR 20,000 – 25,000 USD 450 – 550 Lots 178 to 200 Include items of Film Memorabilia & Popular Culture