Film Information, the premier trade magazine of the Hindi film industry, completed 50 years today (6th October). Started on 6th October, 1973 by its founder editor-printer-publisher, Shri Ramraj Nahta (in picture above), it has served the film industry for half a century with its free, frank and impartial reviews and reporting of the happenings in the film trade, including box-office collections of cinemas across the country.
Although the magazine is now in the digital format only, it was started as a weekly in the print format. It was published every Saturday for 46 years. The magazine changed its avatar on 6th October, 2019, the day it completed 46 years. It is now four years that the trade paper is being brought out digitally.
Saturdays (the day on which the magazine in the print format was published) from 1973 to 2019 used to be unthinkable for the film trade people without a copy of their favourite trade magazine in their hands. While the magazine was never sold on the news stands as it was for circulation within the film trade only, that too, by subscription, the online version has been made available to the world at large.
Film Information has maintained its impartiality and upheld its principles of honest reportage through the years. Whatever the pressures may have been, we have never compromised on our integrity. That’s the reason it has continued to be the numero uno as far as trade papers are concerned.
It is a matter of pride that in the 46 years of publication in the print format, the magazine was brought out every Saturday without fail. Come hail or storm, the magazine used to be out on time every Saturday. No bandhs or natural calamities came in the way of the publication of the magazine. Of course, in its digital version now, news, views, reviews etc. get uploaded on the website on a daily, even hourly, basis. The magazine has maintained its philosophy of reporting on the A to Z of film trade, espoused by Ramraj Nahta when it was launched in 1973. When it comes to finding space in the magazine, news of even a spot boy is reported with the same passion as that of top filmmakers and film stars. It would not be wrong to say that Film Information has, over the years, been the collective voice of the industry people.
We have seen and reported about the changing face of the film industry over the years. We have written about the highs and lows of the trade for the last 50 years. We have seen new faces enter the industry and we’ve seen faces depart. Films have come and gone, filmmakers have entered and exited, stars have been born and have bid adieu to the industry, but Film Information has stood the test of time and has continued to be the best trade magazine throughout the half century of its existence.
I take this opportunity to thank each one of you for your unstinted support to the magazine. Without your continued patronage, we could never have completed our golden jubilee. We do hope that you will continue to shower the same love upon what has, over the years, come to be your magazine.
Long live the film industry! Long live Film Information!