The English visitor to the Gemini Studios was the English poet and the editor, Stephen Spender. He was the editor of the British periodical ‘The Encounter’. He was one of the six eminent men of letters who contributed six essays in the form of the book ‘The God That failed’. The book described ‘Their journeys into communism and their disillusioned return.’ During his visit at the studios he concentration themes of social injustice and class struggle.

It was the time when the author Asokamitran was out of the Gemini Studios. He read an announcement in ‘The Hindu’ about ‘a short story contest organised by a British periodical, “The Encounter.’ The periodical was unknown among the Gemini literati. So the author went to the British Council Library where he found copies of “The Encounter.” When he read the editor’s name he heard a bell ringing in his ears. It was the poet Stephen Spender who had visited the Gemini Studios. He felt as if he had found his long lost brother like those of Indian films.

The Gemini Studios was set up in Chennai in the year 1940 for indoor shooting. It had a large team of six hundred strong workers engaged in the production of the films. In addition to the Boss S.S. Vasan, Kothamangalam Subbu was the No.2 in the Gemini Studios. He was a many sided person with a specific identity in the team. He was the right handman of the Boss and he had made himself indispensable at the Studios. His sense of loyalty had made himself identify with the ‘Boss.’ He was tailor-made for the films and whenever the film producer came out with some difficulty and said, “I do not know how to do this scene”. It was Subbu that came with so many solutions. In this way film making had become very easy with the presence of Subbu. He was a man, who gave direction and definition to the Gemini Studios. During its golden period, he was really an amazing actor who never aspired to lead roles.

He had the perennial ability to look cheerful at all times even after his flop film. He always worked hard for some body. Being loyal to his principal, he used all his creativity for him. His sprawling novel Thillana Mohanambal had a dozen of deftly carved characters which served as a source of good recreation to the audience. Besides being a poet, he was a Brahmin, comic, admirable and hospitable. He composed several truly original ‘story poems’ in folk style. Whatever role he played, he acted better than the main players. Being a charitable man he fed and supported many people at his residence still he had a few enemies. With the closure of the story department, Subbu was also out of the Gemini studio.

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V. Imp.

‘The God That Failed’ is the name of a book. Six eminent men of letters has contributed their six separate essays in the book. In their essays they have described their journey into communism and their disillusioned return. They worked together but they had to return disillusioned.

The author, Asokamitran, is the member of the Gemini Studios. He gives a good account of the working and the culture of the people working in the different parts of the studios. He has created so many situations that point out gentle humour as well human foibles. In case we peep deep into the author himself, we can note that he himself worked in a cubicle. He was to tear up and take the clippings from the newspapers and to keep them in the files. Most of the people think that he does practically nothing. Even the office boy used to advise him not to waste his literary talent in a department that was fit for barbers and perverts. But the narrator always desired for crowd shouting all the time.

Further one can note that the description of the lawyers is quite humourous. Officially he was known as the legal adviser but everybody referred to him as the opposite. It was he who brought a sad end to the brilliant career of a talented actress. In the same way the office boy was not exactly a boy, he was a man in his early forties. He entered the studios to become a star actor, or a top screen writer, director or lyrics writer. He was to do the make-up work for the crowd. He was disappointed that his talent was being wasted. The visit of the poet or the editor remained as an “unexplained mystery.”