Maha Swe - A real princess

Myathita Film Company

No...., Pansodan, Yangon.

November 15, 1935.

Ma Khin Thaung

I have received Ma Khin Thaung's application and photo. I like her and would like to come to Yangon as soon as possible. This season is the best time for filming in Yangon.

Tin Maung Shwe

Manager

When I opened the letter I received in the mail, it was the happiest moment of my life. A friend of mine who loves to write, and one of her novels. When it first appeared in a magazine, I used to criticize her for being so "too... too secretive." Now, when I received the letter that I was about to become a movie actress, I sympathized with her.

My friends call me a “movie nut.” I used to say that I would be a “real actress” one day, but now I hear that saying over and over again. My parents are very wealthy.

I didn't want money. I couldn't give up my passion, so I consulted my parents that day and made an appointment for the next day. Before I left, my friends were talking about the actress being with the director. They were dating the lead actor, the villain, the boss, etc. I said, "If I'm good, I won't move my head. I won't do cheap actresses." I said, "I'll stay with the guide and the site" and pretended to be a little girl, and everyone laughed. However, their words, "We'll see." stuck in my mind.

At about 12 noon, the train pulled into Yangon Station. Among the passengers in the second compartment, there was a young woman about 20 years old and an old woman about 45 years old. They were my mother and I. We only had a bed, a medium-sized leather box, rice, and bottled water. I got down first, and my mother put it on top.

At that moment, a man in his 20s approached us and asked, “Are you Ma Khin Thaung?” He compared the photo in his hand with mine. The photo captured my face, but in reality, the photo was prettier than my real face. This made me feel a little uneasy. I was worried that he would dismiss me as not looking like my real face.

"Yes, of course... Ma Khin Thaung"

"The teacher let me go early."

The cinema manager had sent someone ahead of me yesterday. I had already received a telegram saying that I would be back soon, so I went with him with confidence. When we got outside the station, the young man took us to a very comfortable, dark-colored saloon. The man himself opened the back of the car and loaded the things from the kuli kula.

My son and I sat in the back of the car, and the man got in the front, started the engine, and drove off. When we got to the big sign with the words “Myathita Film Company” in big gold letters, we stopped the car. The driver opened the door and told us to go upstairs, so the two of us went upstairs. I was so nervous. I was worried that they would send me back because they didn’t look like the person in the photo. If I sent them back, my friends would talk about it and make fun of me.

I applied to three other companies with photos and received no response, so it's clear that I wasn't overly concerned.

When we reached the upper door, we saw a man in his 30s sitting in the living room. The man greeted us by saying, “Oh... are you here? Come in.” My mother and I walked over to the man and sat down on the sofas.

The man had a clean, clean figure and was wearing a long-sleeved, aquamarine Bangkok shirt.

"You got the telegram yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes... that's fine," I said.

"Did you learn much from school?"

"I have studied up to IA Senior"

Then he seemed surprised. At that time, educated women rarely entered the film industry. He looked at me from head to toe. At that time, there were not many female athletes, but I had trained with the drills taught in school and other good techniques from bodybuilding books, so my body was quite proportional.

"It seems like you've been eating very healthily."

"Yes.. I practiced every day, everything I know."

"Myint.. Hey, the new actress I was talking about has arrived."

I walked to a place and said, "Come here." A woman, about 25 years old and very pretty (much younger than me), came out. Later, I found out that she was the wife of the manager, Tin Maung Shwe, Khin Myint Yi. Khin Myint Yi sat next to her brother, looked at me, and decided, "I must have a good film face." Later, I understood that "Film Face" means that it doesn't matter whether you are beautiful on the outside or not, you can have a film face if you apply makeup and film glue.

"Have you accepted my daughter?"

The mother, who had not spoken a word since she sat down, suddenly asked Lo Rin.

"I accept it, Daw Daw"

Here, the words are not perfect, but rather a bit of a "say it" kind of anger.

My face fell. I immediately understood what was happening.

“This is different... Ma Khin Thaung, if Ma Khin Thaung has the qualities to be a leading actress, she should be the leading actress. If she lacks the qualities, she should only be a supporting actress. So, “Let’s say it.”

"The meaning is that I accept it, but I can't predict what kind of actress I'll be."

“I don't agree with her, and her father doesn't agree with her either, but she's been dancing since she was about 12 years old, in school dances and local plays. She's very passionate about it.”

"Yes, of course, Daw Daw, I'm afraid I'll say too much."

"It won't happen if I'm not at home, I'll have to manage his living arrangements."

"That's safe. I'll keep it in my house and take care of it. Not just this one, if there's another reliable place, I'll keep it there too."

“If you allow me, I would like to stay here.” (I said this so quickly because I had received reports that Ko Tin Maung Shwe was honest, loyal, loved his wife, and had good manners.)

"If you live with me, you'll have company with me too."

That was Khin Myint Yi's confession. It's common for any wife to disagree with a stranger living in their home. I admire Khin Myint Yi's attitude.

That night, I took the train to the station with my mother. I had been away for about two years when I was in college, so it didn't really affect me, except for a little sadness.

“Ma Khin Thaung... wait a minute.”

The next day, after breakfast, I was going to my room when Tin Maung Shwe called me.

“Yes... Uncle,” I said, walking towards him. He was usually called Teacher. Some even called him Boss, which she didn’t like. I called him out of politeness so that he wouldn’t act like Uncle in the future. If I sat in front of him, he would look at me from head to toe, and I couldn’t stand it.

“Have you ever heard of the fivefold path of meditation, Kethara, Loma, Nakha, Danta, and Tasaw?” he asked. Well... I thought, “Shall I preach the meditation teachings?”

“I heard it, uncle, but I don’t understand it well.”

"A person's beauty is complete when these five elements are fulfilled. Kethar is hair, so the hair should be dark and of good color. It should be moderately long. Ma Khin Thaung's hair is dark. It should be as long as the bend of the knee, so one point is complete. Lo Ma-

Hmm... I felt embarrassed and looked at his face. He didn't lose his composure.

“Women should have good eyebrows, Ma Khin Thaung’s eyebrows are thin. But they can be fixed with makeup, so two things are perfect. The nails and fingernails are not bad. The teeth are white and even. The skin is not very fair, so it is not very noticeable. But makeup can help. The lips are a little thick, but makeup can help. One thing is the curled eyelashes and the wide, clear eyes, which will be admired by everyone who sees Ma Khin Thaung on the white screen.”

Like a farmer who is about to buy a cow, he looked at my whole body and criticized me, not just by looking at my teeth, pulling my ears, or holding my tail. The last criticism made me feel happy. At that moment, two young men in their 20s and a woman in their 30s arrived. They all seemed to be film experts. Even my uncle

“Are you here? Come here,” he called. A short distance away, there were two long, smooth-painted teak benches and eight chairs. “We’ll sit here,” they said, sitting on the chairs. They didn’t dare sit on the sofas facing the uncle. The uncle looked at the woman and

“Come on... Manu Sein, let’s do Ma Khin Thaung’s makeup, now... let’s go to Ma Khin Thaung’s room.”

Me and Manu Sein came to my room. There was a full-length mirror in my room. When we got to the room, Manu Sein said, “Now, Ma Khin Thaung, please change your face.” I was surprised. My face was clean and tidy, with a thin layer of Thanaka powder.

“When I put on makeup, I have to remove the makeup from my face.” Then I poured the water from the filter into a glass and went to the window to pour it out. Manu Sein came with a small silk bag, inside which was a makeup case, a powder case, a face powder setting powder, a lipstick, and a pencil that I had never used before.

(He used to apply the pink makeup from the box and fix it like a child, sometimes it was hard to bear because the makeup got into my eyelashes. After applying the makeup, he would set it with powder and set it. It was also very comfortable. Then he would give me the lips he liked and paint them red, which made my lips look beautiful. The pencil was black, so my eyebrows were small and fine.

"Ma Khin Thaung's character will be a hit with movie fans. All we need is an actor."

Manu Sein praised me, who was looking delighted in the mirror as he packed his things. When we came out, there were three very bright flashlights (later I realized they were slide lights) and a cameraman at the ready. Uncle Lay

"Three types of bus (half body only)"

The cameraman adjusted the position slightly and then took one shot from the left side, one from the right side, and one shot straight ahead.

"Try washing it and getting it on."

The cameraman went downstairs. Downstairs there is a workroom, a studio, a room for film and plate processing, etc. Within half an hour, the cameraman took three photos and showed them to me, which surprised me. In our city, it would take two or three days to get them printed as soon as possible. But now, it was done in half an hour.

My uncle was looking at each picture carefully. He seemed to be quite pleased with his behavior. He looked at me and

"Ma Khin Thaung is a modest person, if she were a little more modest, she would be more elegant."

"If you say that at first, I'll show you the sun, Uncle."

"Awesome... I'll have to try it now."

I don't know how other new actresses are tested when they join the company, but for me it's very tiring. I always buy and read English-language film magazines. I practice in front of a big mirror with pictures of famous actresses.

"Film, theater, and comedy are all very serious things. When you're doing your job, no one should care."

Uncle looked at me and spoke. Then they got up and went to the chairs, and I sat in one of the chairs, while Uncle and Manu Sein, two other young men, sat facing me.

"Now... Ma Khin Thaung, try to smile and show me how happy you are." I was taken aback by the empty request. If it's done during filming, it doesn't matter.

“Show me... Ma Khin Thaung”

I couldn't help it. I had to make a smile on my face. He seemed satisfied. Then I asked him to act out various actions related to the human world and human nature, such as worried expressions, fearful expressions, angry expressions, and so on. Finally, I asked him to act out various actions related to human nature.

"Now... try making a silly smile."

"Oh... Uncle, I understand your logic. You can't do a sit-up and a stand-up at the same time, and how can you do two opposite smiles at the same time?"

"What if it's all at once? At first, I was afraid that my lover would be angry, so I slowly started smiling. Now... try it."

I had to do it. That time, I couldn't help but smile, blinking my eyes two or three times, "Yes, sir.."

"Good, hey.. remember this behavior," he said, praising her warmly.

"Now... cry so hard that you can shed tears."

Of all the challenges I have to face as an actress, this one is the most difficult. I have to show that I am not crazy, not good, and I have to cry until I cry.

"Oh... what can I do?"

“If you practice, you can. Khin Yi and May Win are famous. So if you cry, you can really cry. Cool... I'll practice later.”

The movie actress has completed her mock test.

After four or five days at my uncle's house, I felt like a regular family member. Upstairs in the company, there were only four of us in the family: Uncle Tin Maung Shwe, my sister Khin Myint Yi, the cook Daw Mya, and me. Uncle always taught me about filmmaking. He told me that he would choose me as the lead actress in a film, which made me very happy.

He called me Khin Thaung after removing my name and spoke to me. It was an honest term and I was satisfied. I admired him. I loved him. Since he had a big wife, I thought my love was a kind of love between uncle and son. However, I will write about that later.

I often look at his face, with its pointed ears, sharp, clear eyes, and pale skin. He seems to treat me like a disciple. If he doesn't like me, he will tell me in front of anyone.

"Yes.. this girl"

He would say, "I'm sorry, I

Actually, I am quite flexible. When I change my longyi, I fold it into a circle and place it in a place where my feet are. When I put on my longyi, I usually spread it out three or four times before putting it on, and even Ma Ma Myint told me not to do that. Sometimes, I would kick something on the floor and trip over it countless times.

The company was still filming a film, so my uncle often took me there. I understood what he meant by “it’s so scary.” When shooting outdoors, it’s not comfortable in the scorching sun. Sometimes, the light is still shining through the glass, so how much does it hurt your eyes?

Uncle is a person who cares deeply about “nature.” One day, we were filming an interior scene of a young woman and a young man having sex. Uncle was standing next to the director.

"Hey... ..Hey... Wait, let's start over."

"That scene was where the actor was supposed to hug the actress, so the hug didn't look natural and he had to shoot her again. He even said, "This is not the era of love and affection."