The stage as a profession was never looked upon
with favor by the educated and highbrow classes in Pakistan. There was suppose
to be attached to the profession’ sort of indignity and looseness, which scared
away men from the better-class families.
Women votaries of the stage were few and those,
too, from quarters anything but respectable. Most of the theatrical companies
had boys to portray female characters. Barring a few exceptions: perhaps in the
case of Eastern India, the stage here was of a haphazard character. The art of
portrayal of emotions was reduced to mere artifice of melodramatic
gesticulation and high-sounding phrases. Some provinces, including the Punjab,
had no stage of their own and any enterprising set of players from Bombay and
Calcutta could carry such provinces by storm.
The itinerant theatrical companies, it appears. Have
ceiled a death-blow with the advent of the talking pictures. The only
shortcomings that were experienced by cinema-goers, in the silent days-lack of
songs and all their discomforts have fallen into n-popularity. Excepting a few
big companies in the largest towns, age acting here is reduced to naught.
The work of providing amusement for the
over-wrought millions is, therefore, being gradually monopolized by the cinema.
Unhappily, ours is a land of’ deep-rooted orthodoxy and there exists a prejudice
against every of conservatism mustered strong in raising a storm of protest
against the growth cinema industry and to begin with it was impossible for any
educated talent to find its way into the industry. The actors and actresses
were mostly drawn from the existing stage in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent
or, with the invention of the ‘talkies,’ from the public songstresses.
Naturally, such an atmosphere was not inviting to girls and boys from
respectable classes taking up this profession.
The conditions, happily, have changed and are still
changing for the better. There is a sprinkling of educated boys and girls among
our film stars and there is a constant demand for more. The industry a
certainly developing and this demand are likely to remain strong for a
considerable time.
Cinema acting as a career affords great attraction.
Film stars draw fabulous salaries. In Hollywood, which leads the world film
industry, film celebrities like John Gilbert, Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks,
Charlie Chaplain make nearly $500,000 a year, Mae West for here picture” I am No Angel”
received more than $ 75,000 and numerous stars are paid higher than the
President of America. In Pakistan also actors who cannot spell their names draw
five figure salaries.
But the picture is not entirely rosy: there is a
dark side to it. The glamour of the cinema has drawn many young boys and girls
to the center or industry at Hollywood in Pakistan at Lahore but few of them
have had any amount of success. These are the places where are found strange
inconsistencies in life, beauty in rags vainly knocking at the door of fortune
while humpbacked ugliness rolls in wealth. A person who is a star to day may be
in the gutter a few days later. On the other hand, starts have been made
overnight. In one film a nonentity may sky-rocket to the heights of celebrity. Freddie
Bartholomew and Shirley Temple, the child prodigies, were taken from very
humble surroundings. The profession of acting for the silver screen is,
therefore, a gamble. Only real work and talent can hope to succeed, as it is
bound to.
A passion for acting and determination to take it a
study of lifetime are essential. Sustained industry and perseverance, sociability
and social attainments, such as being a good conversationalist, swimmer or
sportsman, are the requisite qualifications for a successful actor. Good
general education is an invaluable asset in the line; a mobile and expressive
face and, above all, a good voice. This can easily be taken up by the
microphone. The voice must have flexibility and modulation and the intonation
clear with complete absence of tendency to slur over the syllables which is
proving to him the bane of our actors. Putting in a nutshell. The speech should
have all the elements of effective speaking. Such as purity of lection. Resonance,
inflexion and rhythm. It wills him advisories for the aspirants to practice
recitation.
Next in value in the case of the talkies comes the
facial expression. Mobility of the face does not mean capability of making: a
number of varied grimaces; it is the various emotions of the human) press mind,
like anger, surprise, and pleasure. Sorrow, despondency, despair, elation, that
have to be registered at once in the eye. The face and herded tone of voice. If
the eye laughs mischievously while the tone and the words spoken convey a sense
of extreme sorrow, the result is bound to be disgusting. A good and expressive
eye that can flash, flame, art, laugh, weep and blink as the occasion demands
is a great asset a successful actor. Control of facial muscles can also great asset
successful actor. Control of facial muscles can also be taken up an art as in
the case of the late Lon Chaney, ‘the man with a thousand faces, but talent in
Pakistan is yet in a much undeveloped state. We see here mostly stolid and
wooden faces which can only be ide to change their expression with palpable
effort and most of the sites go into hysterics to conceal their failure at
registering the requisite emotion.