POETS AND PANCAKES.

Summary:
Asokamitran talks about Gemini Studios and all that helps in keeping it
in the spotlight. He starts by making a mention of ‘Pancakes’, the famous
make-up brand which Gemini Studios ordered in truckloads. He then
talks about the plight of actors and actresses who have to bear too many
lights on their face while getting ready in the make-up room. The
make-up department, according to him, used heaps of make-up to turn
them into ugly-looking creatures. Shockingly, he talks about the office
boy of the make-up department whose task is to slap paint onto the faces
of players at the time of crowd-shooting. He was a poet and had joined
the Studio in the hope of becoming an actor, screenwriter, director or a
lyricist. In those days, the author used to work inside a cubicle and had
the task of collecting newspaper cuttings which, according to others, was
insignificant. Thus, the office boy would come in time again, to bother
him with his complaints. He was well-convinced that the reason behind
his misery was Subbu. He thought Subbu had an advantage because he
was born a Brahmin. Subbu was a resourceful man whose loyalty made
him stand out. He was tailor-made for films and it was difficult to
imagine film-making without him. He was very welcoming and was
known for his hospitality. Just like many others at the Gemini Studios,
he also did poetry. He worked for the story department which also
consisted of a lawyer. People generally called him the opposite of a legal
practitioner. He was a logical and neutral man amidst a room full of
dreamers. Asokamitran then describes how Gemini Studios got a chance
to host a group of international performers called Moral Re-Armament
Army. Though the plots and messages were not complex, their sets and
costumes were near to perfection so much so that for many years, Tamil
plays displayed sunset and sunrise in a way inherited from ‘Jotham
Valley’. Then another guest, Stephen Spender comes to visit Gemini
Studios. People had hardly heard of him and they couldn’t even connect
with him due to linguistic barriers. It was not until a few years later that
Asokamitran saw his name in a book and realised who he actually was.
Questions and Answers:
1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to
make-up’?
A. By ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up, the writer is trying
to throw light upon the difficulties actors and actresses have to face
because of half a dozen mirrors surrounded with large light bulbs. The
bulbs generated a lot of heat and were definitely not a pleasure for the
eyes.

2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
A. At first, a Bengali was the head of the make-up studio but then he
outgrew Gemini Studios and left it for better opportunities. After him, it
was supervised by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar
Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese
and the usual local Tamils. The fact that people from different cultures
worked together puts forward the post-independence national
integration scenario. It shows that people were united way before All
India Radio and Doordarshan raised the concept.

3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he
join the studios? Why was he disappointed?
A. The ‘office boy’ had the duty of slapping paints on the faces of players
at the time of crowd-shooting. He joined Gemini Studios with a dream of
becoming a first-rate actor, screen-writer or producer.

4. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?

A. The author’s job was to cut and collect newspaper clippings or
sometimes even write them by hand. This was easier and lesser in
comparison to what others were doing at the Studio.

5. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
A. The office boy was frustrated because he thought his literary talent
was going wasted in a room full of barbers and make-up artists. He
somehow managed to deviate his anger on Subbu.
6. Who was Subbu’s principal?
A. The Boss, SS Vasan, who was also the founder of Gemini Studios, was
Subbu’s principal

7. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special

abilities.
A. Subbu, as a man of many qualities, had the ability to look cheerful at
all times, was an excellent actor who could portray his roles in several
ways, was an accomplished poet, and loved anyone he met.

8. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?

A. The legal adviser was referred to as the opposite by others because he
once resorted to blackmailing an actress by recording her while she was
throwing tantrums on the set. This is not considered to be legal, thus he
was usually called the opposite.

9. What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
A. Gemini Studios was filled with dreamers and creative personnel. A
lawyer in between them was the only man with logic. The writer calls
him a ‘neutral’ man.

10. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political
affiliations?
A. No, although they dressed up in Khadi, they did not have the slightest
political affiliations.

11. Why was the Moral Re-Armament Army welcomed at the Studios?
A. Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army was welcomed at the
studio mainly because of their political association. The MRA came as a
welcome change to their monotonous days at the studio.

12. Name one example to show that Gemini studios was influenced by
the plays staged by MRA.
A. Frank Buchman’s Moral Rearmament Army staged two plays“Jotham
Valley” and "The Forgotten Factor” in a most professional manner. The
Gemini family of 600 and the people of Madras city watched them times
and again.
13. Who was The Boss of Gemini Studios?
A. SS Vasan was The Boss of Gemini Studios.

14. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and
the people at Gemini Studios?
A. The British accent of the Englishman caused lack of communication
between him and the people at Gemini Studios.

15. Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as an unexplained mystery?

A. The Englishman’s visit to the Gemini Studios is referred to as an
unexplained mystery because no one could decipher his identity,
whether he was a poet or an editor. Besides, when he spoke, no one at
the studio understood what he intended to say as his accent was beyond
their comprehension.

16. Who was the English visitor to the studios?

A. Stephen Spender

17. How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios
was?
A. Before investing money in participating in a short story contest
organised by an English periodical- The Encounter, the author did
research on the magazine. He went to the British Council Library where,
while going through an issue of that periodical, he discovered that its
editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had once visited the studio.

18. What does The God that Failed refer to?

A. The God that Failed refers to a collection of essays by six authors who
wrote about their journey into Communism, one of them being Stephen
Spender.

19. The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick
out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece
interesting.
A. The author portrays the make-up artists and the usage of the pancakes
in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious. The way
he tries to help his principal is quite amusing. The episode of the legal
adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s career is yet
another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial
praising of Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding
Stephen Spender are some of the instances where the author has
incorporated gentle humour.

20. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini

Studios?
A. Kothamangalam Subbu was successful in securing the place closest to
The Boss by means of flattery. He was not brilliant but a rather cheerful
person and loyal to The Boss. He offered solutions whenever The Boss
was in a fix. Thus, the staff considered him No.2 in Gemini Studios.

21. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet
addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?
A. The English poet was addressing the Tamil audience at Gemini
Studios in English with a typical provincial accent. He was talking about
the thrills and travails of an English poet to a dazed and silent audience.
This was an incongruity because his audience could not understand him
at all.

22. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from
the account?
A. The writer was a prose-writer. He wanted to send a short story for the
short story contest organised by a British periodical by the name ‘The
Encounter’