Celluloid Page #3

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Bombay is only on Monday.

They will have to stay at

the railway station till then.

lt's the height of arrogance.

Paid through my nose to bring them.

Three first class tickets in addition.

Now they are asking for a motor car.

Where can we get a carfrom?

l have seen it only at the

palace and with the Diwan.

There may be three or four others

in the whole of Thiruvananthapuram.

You see, it is very

difficult to get a motor car here.

Please try to understand.

Sorry, Mr Daniel. Now

you are insulting me.

lf this is your film-making,

you will suffer a lot.

What will we do? lt's

hard to get another actress.

Your uncle, Dr Mathaeus,

has a car, doesn't he?

But only Uncle travels in it.

Don't know if he will

allow these lot to get in it.

lt is the veranda of a Nair house,

right Thankappan Anna?

Why? Doesn't it look like that?

l have done it exactly as Daniel

Sir instructed me before he left.

Must finish it by evening.

Shooting starts when

Daniel comes tomorrow.

Didn't the telegram say that the

train will arrive this morning?

Now it is past noon, yet

there is no sign of Daniel.

This is the dresses l bought for

the heroine to wear in the movie.

You must take measurements and

stitch as soon as she comes.

Those who come from Bombay

won't have our rowka and mundu.

Pachu Anna, did you buy lunch

for the cameraman and his crew?

Selvarajan took them to Velappa

Anna's tea-shop to buy them lunch.

What happened?

Was the train late?

lt wasn't the train that

was late. Waited three hours...

at the railway station till

Sundaran brought the motor car.

What for?

Our heroine is the

Maharani of Bombay!

Hello.

Daniel, why do they

continue to sit in the car?.

Theirface looks like they

have been stung by a hornet.

What happened?

Please get down.

What's happening here?

This is my studio. You

will be staying here.

Here?

Janet, have you arranged

the room upstairs forthem?

Yes. Johnson has brought cot

and mattress for that room.

Mr Daniel, very sorry,

we cannot stay here.

Why?

- She is an actress.

How can we stay in a studio?

Tell them to go see the room.

lt has all the facilities.

You please come and see the room.

No, we will not stay here.

But what is wrong here?

We saw a beautiful

palace on the way.

We would like to stay there.

What?

The palace?

lt looks amazing.

Get us a room there.

That's the Kowdiar

Palace they are talking of.

On the way they

asked me what it was.

So that's the story.

The princess wants the

Maharaja's palace itself to sleep.

lt doesn't look it's

going to go smooth, Daniel

Ms Lana, that is the

Maharaja's Palace.

We can't even go in there.

Find us some other palace.

We have heard that there are

so many palaces in Travancore.

ln Bombay, the mother and

daughter stays in a shabby building.

And they come here and

want to stay in a palace.

Johnson, what should we do?

l am itching to give

them one on theirfaces.

l also feel the same.

But if they go, where will

we get another actress from?

Such impossible women!

Besides it doesn't seem like

she will be good as Sarojini.

Hey, Mr Daniel. What is this?

We have been

waiting for a long time.

They waited three hours

for the motor car to come...

when it would have

taken just half an hour...

..in a horse-carriage to reach here.

This will become

a headache, Daniel.

Send them off.

That will be the best thing, Daniel.

We will get a girl from

our native place itself.

Let me look for one.

That is the Rosamma

l told you about.

Will Christians act

on the dalits' stage?

They are dalits who

converted to Christianity.

This girl's father is the cook

of the white missionary priest...

- of L M S Church.

lt is Fr Xavier of that

church who told me about her...

- that the cook's daughter is

acting in a kakkarashi play.

Go and have a look.

She looks smart, isn't she, Sundara?

She performs quite well.

Our Sarojini is a

Nair character,isn't she?

Will this dalit girl be suitable?

Do we have to look at the

caste and creed of an actress?

Once she is cast in a

role she must look like it.

Johnson, please talk to them.

ln the last two shows,

Rosamma forgot her

steps three, four times.

But today...

thank God, she was perfect

throughout, wasn't she, Paulose?

True.

Didn't Asan tell me to pray

each time l get on the stage?

Now, since our God is Jesus,

can l pray to the Dalit god?

l make the sign of the

cross as l get on the stage.

So from fear of erring l err.

Today l boldly

prayed to the Dalit god...

...and also made the

sign of the cross.

All gods are the same, my child.

What is important is

the strength of our mind.

Who obeys if l say 'Don't go for

acting,don't go for acting.'?

Shouldn't there be obedience?

Look at the time she gets up.

Can't step out

because of the gossip.

And a fatherto dance to hertune!

Mala came to know why

you weren't going for work.

lf this is how it is going to be,

it will affect our livelihood.

Paulose, you know this Johnson?

He's in the drama field.

You must have seen him

when he came to act...

- in your white sahib's church.

He acts as St John the

Baptist,Judas and all.

ls that so? Please come.

No cookery today?

No. The white

sahib's gone to Kochi.

Him and his friend saw

the kakkarishi play yesterday.

His friend is making a movie.

They need a girl to act in that.

They came to me to ask you

if you will let her do it.

My lord! Cilima?

lt's something we have

neither heard or seen.

We have no peace of

mind since she started ..

- acting in kakkarishi plays.

lt's Asan who made the girl

who used to go for work regularly...

to sing and dance.

Now if she acts in the cinema,

won't the people pourfire...

-...over our heads?

Folks will only continue

to say what they say now.

Acting in cinema is not like acting

in kakkarishi plays.

She will get fame and glory.

They will give plenty of money too.

That's right.

The Rosamma then won't

be like the Rosamma now.

Rosamma is a lucky girl.

Paulose, you can live

honourably and wealthily.

Still, Asan, a girl among us, acting...

What has Ayyankali said?

This earth is not just forthe Nairs

and the Nampoothiris.

lt's also our own.

What does it mean?

lt means that we also have

the right to live as we please.

Let me ask her opinion.

Rosamma, did you

hear what we said?

l did.

What is in your mind?

l don't know.

Girl, do you want to go?

Have you seen this cinema picture?

l have seen the cinema-house.

There people see movies...

paying three chakras to sit in

the ground and seven to sit in chairs.

They play the stories of Gods

The white people's movies

are also sometimes shown.

Why don't we ask my father

and go see a movie?

Will they allow members of

our caste inside?

But you are going to act in a movie.

They might let you in.

How do they shoot these movies?

l pondered over it yesterday night.

lt might be just like acting

in kakkarishi plays, won't it?

They say crowds gather to see

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