Latest news with #GeminiStudios
Indian Express
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Parents murdered, career crushed, she became Bollywood's first comedian, was left to rot in a chawl with no money for food in final days
Born in the year 1923, she was determined to go as far away from her Uttar Pradesh small town as soon as she could. She was only 23 when she moved to Mumbai, and by 1945, she was singing in the movies. She was born Uma Devi Khatri, and she didn't have a single idea about how to break into the film business. So, she went knocking on music composer Naushad's door, and threatened to jump in the Arabian Sea unless he listened to her voice. He did, and she got her break. But her ambition effectively ended her singing career, when her mentor severed ties with her for working with a rival producer. It was Naushad who suggested that she start acting; it was Dilip Kumar who gave her her stage name: Tun Tun. In an interview with Shishir Krishna Sharma, which was replicated by the Navbharat Times, Tun Tun recalled her tragic youth. Her parents were murdered in a land dispute when she was a toddler, and she was sent to live with her relatives. They didn't allow her to study, so she learned to read and write by herself. When she was a little older, her elder brother was murdered as well. She wanted to run away from it all; all she wanted to do was sing. 'I don't remember who my parents were and how they looked, I would be two to two and half years old when they passed away. I had a brother, eight or nine years old, whose name was Hari. I just remembered that we were living in a village named Alipur. One day, my brother was killed and I was left to relatives, that time I was four or five years old,' she said. Also read – Born out of wedlock, abandoned by father, serially abused in Bollywood, she became industry's biggest female superstar Tun Tun moved to Mumbai to pursue her dreams. After a spate of early success, she decided to take up an offer to sing for the film Chandralekha , produced by Gemini Studios. This angered the man she'd been working with, and her career as a playback singer came to an end. It was Naushad who pointed her in a new direction. She told Femina in 1975, 'Naushad, who is my rakhi brother, knew this defect of mine pretty well and kept on telling me that he saw more of a mischievous comedian in me. I decided to fall in line and on the spur of the moment told him that I would act as a funster only if Dilip Kumar were to act opposite me. Naushad bhai immediately consulted Yusuf bhai and I was baffled and could not believe my own ears when he created a character especially for me in Babul.' Also read – Bollywood director lost entire life's savings after one flop; daughter was forced to dance, son performed for money at beach to repay debts It was Dilip Kumar who suggested the name 'Tun Tun', a crass dig at her weight. Tun Tun was typecast, repeatedly playing secondary roles that reduced her to a punching bag. But she didn't mind, or at least that's what she said in the Femina interview. 'My bulk is my trump card. I don't regret that I am fat. I'm lucky I was born this way. However that does not mean that I am not in favour of dieting. I agree dieting is very essential to maintain a slim and healthy body. But where is the need for me to be slim and ravishingly beautiful?' she said. But, like most performers of her era, she was sidelined from the industry the moment she outlived her usefulness. In an interview conducted by the late actor Tom Alter, just five years before her death, Tun Tun had spoken philosophically about the passage of time, 'I am 75 years old. I am a young lady. But I can still sing if I want to. Manna Dey can still sing, but our time is up. New artists are coming in. If you look at the comedians in films and on TV now, it's their time to shine, we had our time too, and it was great. Time doesn't wait for anybody. Today you're a star, tomorrow it's someone else.' Read more – Patriarch of iconic Bollywood family abandoned his son, forced second family to live in secrecy for decades, went blind in his final days Her final years weren't pleasant. In an interview conducted by Shashi Ranjan for The Times of India, it was revealed that Tun Tun was living in a chawl, forgotten by her fraternity. She didn't have enough money for food or medicines. 'She said that she couldn't walk and had trouble even getting food,' he said. 'I remember she reiterating in the interview that she gave her life for the industry and look at the condition that she was back then. She thanked us for interviewing her and when I requested her, she sang the song Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon. Her specialty was that despite being in such a condition, she didn't lose her sense of humour. She laughed at her poverty, she laughed at the way she was being treated by the world. I liked that very much. Although I felt sad for her it stayed with me that she didn't lose her sense of humour,' he concluded. Tun Tun died at the age of 80, in 2003.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The fall of Gemini Studios in Chennai through the lens of writer Ashokamitran
There is nothing in Chennai to indicate the existence of Gemini Studios, a landmark, except the Anna Flyover that continues to be referred to as Gemini Flyover. The once glorious studio, its owner S.S. Vasan, the memorable films he made, the heroes and heroines, and innumerable workers of the film industry of a previous era continue to live through the evocative writings of Ashokamitran. Karaintha Nizhalkal is a novel, and My Years with Boss is an account of his experience as an employee of Gemini Studios. In a way, Karaintha Nizhalkal is a fictionalised version of My Years with Boss. The fall of men who once dominated the tinsel world and how easily the world moves forward without them is the central and poignant theme of both books. 'Vasan must have found himself dwelling more and more on the earlier times. Ah, Chandralekha! Ah, Nishan! Ah, Mangala! Dazzling women, gorgeous palaces, galloping horses, the swish of rapiers criss-crossing against a taut musical score... Vasan had made up his mind about the next film,' writes Ashokamitran about Vasan, who was addressed as Boss. The biggest flop The next film Raj Tilak had a stellar cast: Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Gemini Ganesan, Pran, and Meenakshi. In Tamil, it was Vanjikottai Valiban. 'It was the last time Vasan yielded to his obsession to make a second Chandralekha. Of course, he couldn't, for everyone now knows that Raj Tilak was the biggest flop Gemini ever made. The cycle had indeed come to an end,' he writes. Gemini Studios, which once produced blockbusters like Chandralekha and Avvaiyar, faded into oblivion. Vasan being Vasan, who was also the owner of Ananda Vikatan, managed to keep up appearance. Ashokamitran wrote the novel after he quit Gemini Studios, and it is haunting. In the novel, film producer Reddiyar was also losing his standing in the film world. Changing times, however, proved cruel to people like Nataraja Iyer, a character in Karaintha Nizhalkal. Iyer, the production manager of Reddiyar, who knows the film world like the back of his hand, ends up begging at the Saidapet bus stand. Ashokamitran would have fashioned the character of Iyer and others after real-life figures from Gemini Studios. Sampath, a character in the novel, recounts a heart-wrenching account: 'I am not able to face him. He is suffering. Both his legs are swollen. Not able to go to hospital. He said he did not have money for vehicle. I felt like crying. What is cinema? It is car and food. So long as films are made, even an ordinary worker will not eat food which is less than ₹5 or ₹10. Two cars will go to Sowcarpet, eight kilometres away, to buy beedis which cost just 10 paisa.' Both books offer insights into the dynamics of film-making while remaining windows to the Tamil film world. Ashokamitran makes a particularly sharp observation about Parasakthi. 'There was a great deal of contemporaneity in it; almost every line had an allusion to the political and social scene in Tamil Nadu. The makers of a film like Parasakthi represented a real threat to the supremacy of Gemini Studios,' he writes, hinting at Vasan's failure to adapt himself to the changing cinematic trends and contemporary and socially relevant subjects. The film had a far-reaching impact not only on Tamil film world but also on Tamil Nadu's political landscape. Serialised in a magazine Ashokamitran's prowess as an ace-storyteller is evident throughout the novel, which was first serialised in 1967 in Deepam, a literary magazine launched by Na. Parthasarathy. The film world he had written about and the characters he had populated in the novel belong to a period when modernity had not fully made its presence felt in Tamil film-making. The essence of the novel, however, remains contemporary even after more than half-a-century. Film producers, directors, actors, extras, music directors, outdoor unit organisers, and scores of faceless workers who contribute to the making of a film today bear resemblance to the characters of the novel. One scene stands out. Going through difficult times, Reddiyar visits the house of heroine Jayachandrika, who fails to turn up after committing herself to his film. After hurling abuses at her, he shifts his tone. 'Don't take these words to heart. I can say one more thing. I have known your mother for 30 years since she came from Vaitheeswarankoil. Maybe, I am your father. Who knows?' says Reddiyar. The words, like a slap in the face, also capture the darker side of the film world and the countless stories about the survival of women in the industry.
The Hindu
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The fall of a great studio through the lens of writer Ashokamitran
There is nothing in Chennai to indicate the existence of Gemini Studios, a landmark, except the Anna Flyover that continues to be referred to as Gemini Flyover. The once glorious studio, its owner S.S. Vasan, the memorable films he made, the heroes and heroines, and innumerable workers of the film industry of a previous era continue to live through the evocative writings of Ashokamitran. Karaintha Nizhalkal is a novel, and My Years with Boss is an account of his experience as an employee of Gemini Studios. In a way, Karaintha Nizhalkal is a fictionalised version of My Years with Boss. The fall of men who once dominated the tinsel world and how easily the world moves forward without them is the central and poignant theme of both books. 'Vasan must have found himself dwelling more and more on the earlier times. Ah, Chandralekha! Ah, Nishan! Ah, Mangala! Dazzling women, gorgeous palaces, galloping horses, the swish of rapiers criss-crossing against a taut musical score... Vasan had made up his mind about the next film,' writes Ashokamitran about Vasan, who was addressed as Boss. The biggest flop The next film Raj Tilak had a stellar cast: Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Gemini Ganesan, Pran, and Meenakshi. In Tamil, it was Vanjikottai Valiban. 'It was the last time Vasan yielded to his obsession to make a second Chandralekha. Of course, he couldn't, for everyone now knows that Raj Tilak was the biggest flop Gemini ever made. The cycle had indeed come to an end,' he writes. Gemini Studios, which once produced blockbusters like Chandralekha and Avvaiyar, faded into oblivion. Vasan being Vasan, who was also the owner of Ananda Vikatan, managed to keep up appearance. Ashokamitran wrote the novel after he quit Gemini Studios, and it is haunting. In the novel, film producer Reddiyar was also losing his standing in the film world. Changing times, however, proved cruel to people like Nataraja Iyer, a character in Karaintha Nizhalkal. Iyer, the production manager of Reddiyar, who knows the film world like the back of his hand, ends up begging at the Saidapet bus stand. Ashokamitran would have fashioned the character of Iyer and others after real-life figures from Gemini Studios. Sampath, a character in the novel, recounts a heart-wrenching account: 'I am not able to face him. He is suffering. Both his legs are swollen. Not able to go to hospital. He said he did not have money for vehicle. I felt like crying. What is cinema? It is car and food. So long as films are made, even an ordinary worker will not eat food which is less than ₹5 or ₹10. Two cars will go to Sowcarpet, eight kilometres away, to buy beedis which cost just 10 paisa.' Both books offer insights into the dynamics of film-making while remaining windows to the Tamil film world. Ashokamitran makes a particularly sharp observation about Parasakthi. 'There was a great deal of contemporaneity in it; almost every line had an allusion to the political and social scene in Tamil Nadu. The makers of a film like Parasakthi represented a real threat to the supremacy of Gemini Studios,' he writes, hinting at Vasan's failure to adapt himself to the changing cinematic trends and contemporary and socially relevant subjects. The film had a far-reaching impact not only on Tamil film world but also on Tamil Nadu's political landscape. Serialised in a magazine Ashokamitran's prowess as an ace-storyteller is evident throughout the novel, which was first serialised in 1967 in Deepam, a literary magazine launched by Na. Parthasarathy. The film world he had written about and the characters he had populated in the novel belong to a period when modernity had not fully made its presence felt in Tamil film-making. The essence of the novel, however, remains contemporary even after more than half-a-century. Film producers, directors, actors, extras, music directors, outdoor unit organisers, and scores of faceless workers who contribute to the making of a film today bear resemblance to the characters of the novel. One scene stands out. Going through difficult times, Reddiyar visits the house of heroine Jayachandrika, who fails to turn up after committing herself to his film. After hurling abuses at her, he shifts his tone. 'Don't take these words to heart. I can say one more thing. I have known your mother for 30 years since she came from Vaitheeswarankoil. Maybe, I am your father. Who knows?' says Reddiyar. The words, like a slap in the face, also capture the darker side of the film world and the countless stories about the survival of women in the industry.
