World War II and the subsequent resource scarcity
caused the British Raj to impose a limit on the use of filmstrip in
1943 to 11,000 feet,a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that
was common till then.As a result, the number of films produced
during the War was substantially lower than in previous years.
Nonetheless, prior to the ban, an important shift occurred in the
industry: independent studios formed, actors and actresses were signed
to contracts limiting who they could work for, and films moved from
social themes to folklore legends,1942's Balanagamma typified
these changes: the film featured fantasy elements of cultural lore,
was produced by Gemini Studios, and its producers added a restricting
clause to the lead actress' contract. By 1947, nearly all films were
produced by studios with contracted actors.
