Asokamitran (1931), a Tamil writer, recounts his years at Gemini Studios in his book My Years with Boss which talks of the influence of movies on every aspect of life in India. The Gemini Studios, located in Chennai, was set up in 1940. It was one of the most influential film producing organisations of India in the early days of Indian film-making. Its founder was S.S. Vasan. The duty of Asokamitran in Gemini Studios was to cut out newspaper clippings on a wide variety of subjects and store them in files. Many of these had to be written out by hand. Although he performed an insignificant nction he was the most well-informed of all the members of the Gemini family. The following is an excerpt from his book My Years with Boss.

1. Poets and Pancakes by Ashokamitran
Akila’s English Class

2. by
S Akilandeswari
PGT English
DAV Public School
Sreshtha Vihar
Delhi
Akila’s English Class

3. Akila’s English Class

4. Asokamitran (1931), a Tamil
writer, recounts his years at
Gemini Studios in his book
My Years with Boss which
talks of the influence of
movies on every aspect of
life in India. The Gemini
Studios, located in Chennai,
was set up in 1940. It was
one of the most influential
filmproducing organisations
of India in the early days of
I ndian film-making. I ts
founder was S.S. Vasan.
The duty of Asokamitran in Gemini Studios
was to cut out newspaper clippings on a wide
variety of subjects and store them in files.
Many of these had to be written out by hand.
Although he performed an insignificant
nction he was the most well-informed of all
the members of the Gemini family. The
following is an excerpt from his book My
Years with Boss
About the Author
Akila’s English Class

5. about Pancakes
Pancake makeup is the
trademarked name held by the
Noxell Corporation for a cosmetic
face powder that has been
compressed into a cake and is
applied as a make-up base with a
damp sponge.
An example of pancake makeup is
the foundation that an actress
puts on while getting made up for
a performance.
Akila’s English Class

6. Greta Garbo
without & with makeup
Miss Gohar Vyjayantimala
Rati Agnihotri
without & with makeup
without & with makeup Akila’s English Class

7. What is the example of
national integration
that the author refers
to?
The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali
who became too big for a studio and le1t. He was
succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a
Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian
Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils.
All this shows that there was a great deal of national
integration.
What does thewriter mean by
‘thefiery misery’of those
subjected tomake-up’?
The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting
salon with incandescent lights at all angles around
half a dozen large mirrors. Due to the
incandescent lights, the writer tells that those
subjected to make-up were in fiery misery.
Akila’s English Class

8. Strict hierarchy in the Makeup Department
The chief make-up man
made the chief actors and
actresses ugly,
his senior assistant the
‘second’ hero and heroine,
the junior assistant the main
comedian, and so forth.
The players who played the
crowd were the
responsibility of the office
boy.
Akila’s English Class

9. Kothamangalam Subbu (born S.
M. Subramanian, 10 November
1910 – 15 February 1974) was
an Indian poet, lyricist, author,
actor and film director based in
Tamil Nadu. He wrote the cult
classic Tamil novel Thillana
Mohanambal and was awarded
the Padma Shri.
Akila’s English Class

10. Subbu was the No. 2at Gemini Studios
He had the ability to look cheerful at all times even after having had a
hand in a flop film
He always had work for somebody — he could never do things on his
own
H is sense of loyalty made him identify himself with his principal
completely and turn his entire creativity to his principal’s advantage.
Subbu is described as a many sided genius
Akila’s English Class

11. He was tailor-made for films
Here was a man who could be inspired when commanded
Film-making must have been and was so easy with a man like Subbu around
He gave direction and definition to Gemini Studios during its golden years
Subbu had a separate identity as a poet and though he was certainly capable
of more complex and higher forms, he deliberately chose to address his poetry
to the masses
His success in films overshadowed and dwarfed his literary achievements —
or so his critics felt
Subbu is described as a many sided genius
Akila’s English Class

12. He composed several truly original ‘story poems’ in folk refrain and diction
wrote a sprawling novel Thillana Mohanambal with dozens of very deftly etched
characters.
He was an amazing actor — he never aspired to the lead roles — but whatever
subsidiary role he played in any of the films, he performed better than the
supposed main players.
He had a genuine love for anyone he came across and his house was a permanent
residence for dozens of near and far relations and acquaintances.
It seemed against Subbu’s nature to be even conscious that he was feeding and
supporting so many of them. He was a charitable and improvident man.
Subbu is described as a many sided genius
Akila’s English Class

13. Story Department
a lawyer
or
legal
advisor
writers &
poets
including
Subbu
Khadi dhoti,
oversized,
clumsily tailored
Khadi shirt
Pants and a
tie, sometimes
a coat that
looked like a
coat of mail
Akila’s English Class

14. Extremely talented , temperamental actress blew over on the sets
everyone was stunned but -
the lawyer switched on recording equipment
when the actress paused, he said,"one minute, please" and -
played back the recording
when she heard her voice through the sound equipment, she was struck
dumb though -
there was nothing incriminating /unmentionable foul in the actress's
tirade (a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation)
she was a girl from the countryside, simple and not much experienced
but was catapulted into a position of importance and sophistication
she never recovered from the terror of that day
that was the end of a brief and brilliant career
Episode of the lawyer and the actress
Akila’s English Class

15. was a part of the story department
dressed differently than others in the department -Pants and a
tie, sometimes a coat
looked alone and helpless
a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers
a neutral man in an assembly of Gandhiites and khadiites
one day The Boss closed down the Story Department and,
this was perhaps the only instance in all human history where a
lawyer lost his job because the poets were asked to go home
What made the lawyer
stand out from the others at
Gemini Studios?
Akila’s English Class

16. Most of them wore khadi and worshipped Gandhi
Naturally, they were all averse to the term
'Communism’.
A Communist was a godless man —
he had no filial or conjugal love
he had no compunction about killing his own parents
or his children
he was always out to cause and spread unrest and
violence among innocent and ignorant people
Khadi clad poets of Gemini studio's notion about Communism
Akila’s English Class

17. some 200 strong visited Madras in 1952
presented two plays in a professional manner
1. 'Jotham Valley'
2. 'The Forgotten Factor'
message of the plays simple
first rate sets and costumes
Madras and Tamil drama community terribly impressed
by scene of sunrise and sunset in Jotham Valley
1.bare stage,
2.White background curtain and
3.a tune played on the flute
for some years almost all Tamil plays had such a scene
Gemini family of 600 saw the plays over and over again
Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army
Frank Buchman
One example to show
that Gemini studios
was influenced by the
plays staged by MRA
Akila’s English Class

18. Poet /Editor from England
Tall, very English, very serious,
very unknown to people at Gemini
Studios
The mystery of the poet from England
Who was this who visited Gemini Studios??
Stephen Spender
Boss read out a long speech which was most general
It was obvious that he too knew precious little about
the poet /editor
His visit remained an unexplained mystery
Akila’s English Class

19. What caused the lack
of communication
between the
Englishman and the
people at Gemini
Studios?
The English poet spoke and addressed a dazed and
silent audience
no one knew what he was talking about and his accent
defeated any attempt to understand what he was
saying
. Why is the
Englishman’s visit
referred to as
unexplained
mystery?
The audience at the Gemini studios could not understand
what an English poet was doing in a film studio which
makes Tamil films for the simplest sort of people
their lives did not give them the possibility of cultivating a
taste for English poetry
The poet looked pretty baffled too, for he too must have felt
the sheer incongruity of his talk about the thrills and
travails of an English poet.
Akila’s English Class

20. How did the author
discover
who the English visitor
to the
studios was?
The Hindu had published a tiny announcement in an insignificant
corner of an unimportant page — a short story contest organised by a
British periodical by the name 'The Encounter'
Author wanted to get an idea of the periodical before he spent a
considerable sum in postage sending a manuscript to England
There were copies of 'The Encounter' lying about in various degrees of
freshness, almost untouched by readers in the British Council Library
The editor’s name rang a bell in the author's heart. It was the poet who
had visited the Gemini Studios — Stephen Spender
Akila’s English Class

21. The God that Failed -Communism
The author bought a special low-priced student
edition of the book 'The God That Failed' in
which six eminent men of letters in six separate
essays described ‘their journeys into
Communism and their disillusioned return’.
When he saw the name of Stephen Spender
among the authors, the reaction to Spender's
visit to Gemini Studios was no longer a mystery.
The Boss of the Gemini Studios may not have
much to do with Spender’s poetry. But not with
his God that failed.
Akila’s English Class

22. 1.Gemini Studios
2.Makeup Department
3.The Office Boy
4.Asokamitran
5.Kothamangalam Subbu
6.Legal Advisor
7.Poets and Writers
8.Communism and MRA
9. Stephen Spender
This piece is an example of a chatty, rambling style.
One thought leads to another which is then dwelt upon at length.
Akila’s English Class

23. Akila’s English Class