My Years with Boss : Gemini Studios

• Asokamitran (1931-2017) was a Tamil writer.
• He wrote "My Years with Boss" about his time at Gemini Studios.
• The book discusses the influence of movies on Indian life.
• Gemini Studios was established in 1940 in Chennai.
• It was a prominent film-producing organization in early Indian cinema.
• S.S. Vasan was the founder of Gemini Studios.
• Asokamitran's job involved cutting newspaper clippings on various topics and filing them.
• Despite his seemingly minor role, he was very informed about the studio's happenings.

Gemini Studios Makeup Department

• "Pancake" was the brand of makeup used extensively at Gemini Studios, supposedly even by famous actresses..
• The makeup department was located in a building believed to have once been Robert Clive's stables.
• The makeup room resembled a hair-cutting salon with many mirrors and incandescent lights.
• The intense heat from the lights made applying makeup a fiery ordeal.
• The makeup department head was initially a Bengali who left due to his success.
• He was followed by a diverse team including a Maharashtrian, a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese, and local Tamils,showing national integration.
• The makeup artists used vast amounts of pancake makeup and local potions to transform people.
• Films were mostly shot indoors during this time.
• The studio lights and sets required people to be made to look less attractive in person to appear presentable on screen.
• A strict hierarchy existed in the makeup department.
  • The chief makeup man focused on main actors.
  • Senior assistants worked on 'second' leads.
  • Junior assistants handled comedians.
  • The office boy was responsible for the makeup of crowd actors.
• The office boy would mix paint in a large vessel for crowd makeup during crowd scenes.
• The aim of makeup application was to cover every pore on the face.
• The makeup "boy" was actually in his forties and had aspirations to be a star, writer, director, or lyricist.
• People thought the author was idle because he was always tearing up the newspapers.

Kothamangalam Subbu

• The author was in a cubicle with French windows.
• People assumed he was doing very little.
• The makeup department workers thought that too much literary talent was wasted on barbers.
• Kothamangalam Subbu was Gemini Studios' No. 2 person.
• He had an encouraging start in films.
• He likely faced more challenging circumstances due to the lack of established studios at the start of his career.
• Subbu was loyal, creatively dedicated to his principal’s goals, and well-suited for filmmaking.
• He was able to find immediate solutions to creative issues on set.
• Subbu gave direction to Gemini Studios during its peak.
• He had his own identity as a poet, choosing to write for the masses.
• His success in films overshadowed his poetry.
• He wrote 'story poems' and the novel "Thillana Mohanambal", recreating the Devadasi atmosphere from the early 20th century.
• He was a talented actor known for playing supporting roles better than lead actors.
• He had a generous nature, supporting many relatives and acquaintances.

Story Department

• Despite his positive traits, Subbu had enemies.
• He was always seen with the Boss.
• In attendance records, Subbu was listed under the Story Department.
• The Story Department included a lawyer, writers, and poets.
• The lawyer was the 'legal advisor' was seen as the opposite of an adviser.
• A talented actress lost her career when the lawyer played a recording of her outburst against the producer.
• The lawyer, was responsible for her downfall by recording the incident, also belonged to the Story Department.
• The lawyer was different from other department members.
  • Others wore khadi, while he wore pants, ties, and occasionally a coat.
  • He looked like a neutral man in a group of Gandhi followers.
• The Boss allowed him to direct a film, which wasn't successful.
• The Boss eventually shut down the Story Department, leading to the lawyer losing his job.
• Gemini Studios was frequented by poets such as S.D.S. Yogiar, Sangu Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry, and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya.
• The studio's mess provided good coffee around the clock.
• Coffee meetings offered satisfying entertainment during Prohibition under Congress rule.
• Most people wore khadi and admired Gandhi but lacked deep political understanding.
• they generally disliked Communism.

Moral Re-Armament army

• Frank Buchman's Moral Re-Armament army visited Madras in 1952 and Gemini Studios was a host.
• The group's acts were not great and their interaction with animals was limited to meals.
• The group presented two well-done plays: 'Jotham Valley' and 'The Forgotten Factor'.
• Gemini Studios' 600 employees, watched the plays multiple times.
• The plays had simple moral messages.
• Gemini Studios adopted sunrise and sunset scenes.
• The author later realized the MRA was against international Communism.
• The Gemini Studios staff enjoyed hosting the MRA group.

An English Poet

• Gemini Studios prepared to welcome another visitor, a poet from England.
• The staff only knew poets like Wordsworth, Tennyson, Keats, Shelley, Byron, or Eliot.
• Vasan, the editor of "Ananda Vikatan," said the visitor was an editor, warranting special reception.
• The English visitor, was very serious, and mostly unknown.
• The Boss gave a speech with common words like "freedom" and "democracy".
• The poet spoke, but the audience didn't understand him or his accent.
• This event led to confusion about the studio's purpose and an English poet’s place in it, in Tamil films.
• The poet's visit remained mysterious.
• The Hindu announced a short story contest by the British magazine "The Encounter."
• The Encounter wasn't well-known at Gemini Studios, so the author wanted to review it before mailing a manuscript.
• He discovered copies of "The Encounter" at the British Council Library.
• The author recognised the editor as the poet who had visited Gemini Studios and felt a connection.
• Years after leaving Gemini Studios, the author found a cheap copy of "The God That Failed”.
• The book contained essays by six writers on their journey into Communism and their disillusionment.
• He recognized Stephen Spender's name, the poet who came to Gemini Studios.
• The book's value increased for the author.
• The reason for Stephen Spender's visit to Gemini Studios became clear.
• The Boss may not have cared for Spender's poetry, but for his god i.e. Communism that had failed.