Short Answer Type

Questions  (30 to 40 words)

1.What is the significance of the

words ‘poet’ and ‘pancake’?

Ans: ‘Pancake’ was the brand

name of the make-up material that
Gemini Studios bought in large
quantities. It was used as a make-
up base for the actors shooting in
the studio. Thus this chapter deals
with the people working in Gemini
Studios, most of them in the make-
up department. The word ‘Poets’
comes from the fact that Gemini
Studios was the favourite haunt of
poets, who had influenced the
thinking of the employees of the
Studios. It was also visited by the
English poet Stephen Spender.

2. What is the writer’s view of

Robert Clive?
Ans: The make-up department of
the Gemini Studios was in a
building that was believed to have
been Robert Clive’s stables. Various
other buildings in Madras were said
to have been his residence. The
writer says that Clive’s stay in India
and specifically Madras, was for a
very short period, though he
married in St. Mary’s Church in
Madras. But during this brief stay,
he seemed to have done a lot of
moving, besides fighting some
tough battles in far-flung areas of
India.

3. What does the writer say about

national integration in the
Studio?

Ans: The writer says that the make-

up department did not have people
belonging to the same geographical
region. It was first headed by a
Bengali who 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 people from all over the country
worked together. So, in a light-
hearted manner, he refers to this as
national integration.

4. Bring out the humour in the job

done by the make-up men.

Ans: The writer says that the ‘gang’

(not group) of men from all corners
could transform any decent-looking
person into a repulsive crimson
coloured fiend because of the
enormous amount of make-up they
used on the actor. The chief make-
up man-made the chief actors and
actresses ugly. According to the
writer, they used ‘truck-loads of
pancake’. Other than the pancake,
they used locally manufactured
‘potion and lotions’. He feels with so
much make-up, they looked uglier
than in real life. This was required to
make them look acceptable in the
movie.

5. What was the hierarchy that

was maintained in the make-up
department?

Ans: The authoritarian chain of

command in the make-up
department spelled the duties of the
employees by their position in the
hierarchy. The chief make-up man
did the makeup for the main actors
and actresses; his senior assistant
worked on the ‘second hero and
heroine’, the junior assistant on the
‘main comedian’, and so on. The
players who played the crowd were
the responsibility of the office boy,
who was the junior-most. Because
the office boy was the junior-most in
the hierarchy, he was only required
when a crowd scene was to be shot
as he applied make-up on the
crowd players.
6. Why was the ‘office boy’
disgruntled in the Studios?

Ans:  The job of the ‘office boy’ was

to paint the faces of the crowd on
the days when there was an
outdoor shooting. Such occasions in
those days were rare as only 5 per
cent of the film was shot outdoors.
Moreover, he wasn’t a ‘boy’ but a
man in his early forties, who had
joined the studios years ago in the
hope of becoming a star actor or a
top screenwriter, director or lyrics
writer. He felt that his literary talent
was being allowed to go waste in a
department that was suitable only
for ‘barbers and perverts’.
7. What was the writer’s job? How
was it viewed by the others in the
Studio?

Ans: The duty of Asokamitran in the

Studios was to cut out relevant
newspaper
clippings on a wide variety of
subjects and store them in files.
People who saw him at 

his desk tearing up newspapers the

whole day long. So anyone, who felt
he should be given some
occupation, would barge into his
cubicle anytime and deliver an
extended lecture. More often than
not, it was the ‘boy’ in the make-up
department who pushed his way in
to enlighten him on how his great
literary talent was being allowed to
go waste in a department fit only for
barbers and perverts.
8. Why was the anger directed at
Kothamangalam Subbu?

Ans: According to the writer,

whenever people are frustrated,
their anger gets directed towards
one person, openly or clandestinely.
At Gemini Studios, this man
was Kothamangalam Subbu. He
had begun his career as a ‘boy’ in
the make-up department. All were
convinced that all their sorrow,
humiliation, and neglect were due to
him. Subbu was the No. 2 at the
Studio and was a generous man. It
could have been because he
seemed so close and intimate with
the Boss or because his general
conduct resembled that of a
flatterer. He was quick to say nice
things about everyone.

9. Subbu had made tremendous

progress at the Studios. What
does the writer feel about
Subbu’s talent?
Ans: Subbu began as an office boy
and had risen to the position of
being No. 2 at Gemini Studios. It
was even more commendable in his
case as he began his career at a
time when there was no firmly
established film producing
companies or
studios.

Although he barely had any formal

education, Subbu was cut-out for
films. He could be inspired when
desired. When asked by the
producer, he would come up with
ideas. He gave direction and
definition to Gemini Studios. He was
capable of higher forms of poetry
but he purposely chose to address it
to the masses. His success in films
eclipsed his literary achievements.
He was an amazing actor and
whatever role he played, he
performed better than the main
players.
10. Why was the legal adviser
referred to as the ‘opposite’?

Ans: The lawyer was also officially

known as the legal adviser, but
everybody referred to him as the
opposite because he did not give
legal but illegal and destructive
advice. He marred the career of an
extremely talented actress. Once,
when that actress threw a tantrum
on the sets, the lawyer switched on
the recording equipment and when
she paused for breath he replayed
it. It was an outburst against the
producer. When she heard her
voice again, she was struck dumb.
A girl from the countryside, she
never recovered from the terror she
felt that day.

11. How did the legal adviser look

different from the rest in the
department?

Ans: While every other member of

the department wore a khadi dhoti
with a slightly oversized and
clumsily tailored white khadi shirt,
the legal adviser wore pants and a
tie and sometimes a coat that
looked like a coat of mail. As a
consequence, often he looked alone
and helpless. He was a man of logic
in a crowd of dreamers; a
dispassionate man in a
group of Gandhiites and khadiites.
Then the Boss closed down the
Story Department and this was
perhaps the only instance in all
human history when a lawyer lost
his job because the poets were
asked to go home.

12. Why was the legal adviser

dismissed?

Ans: The legal adviser was close to

the Boss. As a consequence, like
others who were close to the Boss,
he was allowed to produce a film. A
lot of investment had gone into the
production of this film but not much
came from the film. The lawyer was
a member of the Story Department.
Then, one day, the Boss closed
down the Story Department and this
was perhaps the only example
where a lawyer lost his job because
the poets were asked to go home.
13. What does the writer say
about the political leanings of the
people at Gemini Studios?

Ans: Barring the office boys and a

couple of clerks, everybody else at
the Gemini Studios radiated leisure
and was a lover of poetry. Most of
them wore khadi and worshipped
Gandhiji but beyond that, they had
no political leanings at Gemini
Studios. Since most of the
employees were apolitical and
worshipped Gandhiji, they wore
khadi. However, all of them disliked
the term ‘Communism’. To them, a
Communist was a godless man who
had no love and could kill his own
family. He was always out to cause
and spread unrest and violence
among innocent and ignorant
people.

14. What impact did Frank

Buchman have on the Gemini
Studios?
Ans: When Frank Buchman’s Moral
Re-Armament army visited Madras,
it was given a very warm welcome.
They presented two plays most
professionally. Their Jotham Valley
and The Forgotten Factor ran
several shows and the Gemini
family saw the plays over and over
again. The message of the plays
was usually plain and simple, but
the sets and costumes were first-
rate. Madras and the Tamil drama
community were so impressed that
for some years, almost all Tamil
plays had a scene in the style of
Jotham Valley.
15. What truth about the Moral
Re-Armament army disillusioned
the writer?

Ans: Initially, when the writer saw

the plays staged by the Moral Re-
Armament army he was impressed
by the message of the
plays. Their sets and costumes
were first-rate. Madras and the
entire Tamil drama community were
so impressed that for some years
almost all Tamil plays had a scene
in the style of Jotham Valley.

Years after the Moral Re-Armament

army had come and gone, the writer
learnt that it was a kind of counter-
movement to international
Communism and the big bosses of
Madras, like Mr Vasan, had been
led into believing them.

16. Stephen Spender’s visit to the

Gemini Studios baffled one and
all. Why?
Ans: When the Gemini Studios
prepared to welcome Stephen
Spender, no one knew who he was.
They tried guessing whether he was
a poet or an editor. Certainly, he
was not so well known that his fame
had travelled to India from The
Manchester
Guardian or the London Times.
When he arrived, the Boss
introduced him but the speech was
ambiguous. Then the poet spoke,
which confused the audience even
more. No one knew what he was
talking about and his accent could
not be understood. The poet, too,
looked equally baffled.

17. How did the writer discover

Spender’s identity?

Ans: The writer read an

announcement in The Hindu for a
short story contest organized by a
British periodical by the name ‘The
Encounter’. The writer wanted to get
an idea of The Encounter before he
sent his manuscript to England. So,
he went to the British Council
Library and saw copies of The
Encounter almost untouched by
readers. He read the editor’s name.
It was Stephen Spender. The name
was familiar and he recalled that
this was
the man who had visited the
Studios.

18. Why did the book, The God

That Failed to assume great
importance for the writer?

Ans: The writer paid fifty paise and

bought the book, The God That
Failed. It had six separate essays
by six eminent men. They had
described their journeys into
Communism and their disillusioned
return. One of them was Stephen
Spender. Just then, the book
became very important as this very
poet had visited Gemini Studios.
The purpose of his visit at once
became clear. The Boss of the
Gemini Studios had nothing to do
with Spender’s poetry but his dislike
for Communism he shared.

Important Long/ Detailed

Answer Type Questions- to
be answered in about 100 -
150 words each
1.Describe the make-up
department in Gemini Studios.

Ans: The make-up department of

Gemini Studios was on the upper
floor of a building that was
supposed

to have been Robert Clive’s stables.

The make-up room had the look of
its hair salon with lights at all angles
around half a dozen huge mirrors.
They were all glowing lights that
made the place so warm that the
person on whom make-up was
being done, had to undergo a great
deal of inconvenience. The make-up
department had people from various
parts of the country, who were adept
at painting faces. The chain of
command in the make-up
department, distributed the duties of
the employees, by their position in
the hierarchy. The chief make-up
man did the
makeup for the main actors and
actresses; his senior assistant
worked on the second hero and
heroine, the junior assistant on the
main comedian, and so on. The
players who played the crowd were
the responsibility of the office boy,
who was the junior-most.

2. The ‘office boy’ of the Gemini

Studios was not as blessed as
Subbu. Explain.

Ans: In the make-up room, as per

the hierarchy, the ‘office boy’ was
the junior-most and hence, was
responsible for the make-up of the
players who played the crowd. He
wasn’t exactly a ‘boy’; he was in his
early forties and had entered the
studios years ago in the hope of
becoming a star actor or a top
screenwriter, director, or lyrics
writer. The ‘boy’ felt that his great
literary talent was being allowed to
go waste in a department fit only for
barbers and perverts.
On the other hand, Subbu had risen
to the position of No. 2 at Gemini
Studios only by his being a
Brahmin. He had joined the films as
a make-up boy. He must have had
to face more uncertain and difficult
times because when he began his
career, there was no well-
established film producing
companies or studios.

3. Write a brief character sketch

of Kothamangalam Subbu.

Ans: Kothamangalam Subbu was

universally hated by all in the make-
up department. He had a modest
beginning as an office boy and had
now reached to the position of No. 2
at Gemini Studios. He was a
Brahmin and hence, had contacts
with affluent people. He looked
cheerful at all times. He could never
do things on his own but his loyalty
endeared him to the
Boss. His creativity surfaced when
commanded. He could come out
with various alternatives for
enacting a scene. He gave direction
and definition to Gemini Studios
during its golden years. Subbu
was also a poet and capable of
complex and higher forms of poetry
but he purposely addressed it to the
masses. His success in films
overshadowed his literary
achievements. He composed
several ‘story poems’ and also
wrote a novel, Thillana
Mohanambal. He was an amazing
actor and performed better than the
main players. He loved people and
his house was a permanent
residence for guests. Despite this,
he had enemies. It could be
because he seemed so close to the
Boss or because he seemed like a
sycophant.

4. The Gemini Studios was the

haunt of poets and it had its due
effect on the employees of the
Studios. justify
Ans: Gemini Studios was the
favourite hang-out place of poets
like S.D.S. Yogiar, Sangu
Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry and
Harindranath Chattopadhyaya. The
employees wore a khadi dhoti with
a clumsily tailored white khadi shirt.
It was a crowd of dreamers and an
assembly of Gandhiites and
khadiites. Then, Congress rule
meant prohibition and most
employees worshipped Gandhiji but
beyond that, they had no admiration
for the political thought of any kind.
They disliked a Communist and to
them, he was a godless man with
no love. He could kill his parents or
his children and he was always out
to cause and spread unrest and
violence among innocent and
ignorant people. Such notions which
prevailed everywhere else in South
India at that time also, naturally,
floated about vaguely among the
khadi-clad poets of Gemini
Studios.

5. What was the reaction of

Gemini Studios to Frank
Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament
army? What was the anti-climax?

Ans: Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-

Armament army of about 200 visited
Madras in 1952, and they were
given a warm welcome in the
Studios. The staff of Gemini Studios
had a nice time hosting 200 people
of all hues and sizes of at least
twenty nationalities. They presented
two plays, Jotham Valley and The
Forgotten Factor, in a very
professional manner. The
employees of the Studios saw the
plays many times. The message of
the plays was plain but the sets and
costumes were excellent. Madras
and the Tamil drama community
were so impressed, that for years
almost all Tamil plays had a scene
in
the manner of Jotham Valley.

Later, they learnt that the MRA was

a counter-movement to international
Communism and the big bosses of
Madras like Mr Vasan simply played
into their hands.

6. How did the writer discover

Spender’s identity?

Ans: When Gemini Studios

prepared to welcome Spender, they
did not have any clue about the
identity of the visitor. All they knew
was that he was a poet from
England. However, he was not one
of the poets from England that they
had heard of. Later, they heard that
he was an editor. But again, he
wasn’t the editor of any of the
known British publications. When
the gentleman arrived, the mystery
of his identity deepened. He spoke
but none
understood because of the British
accent.

Much later, when The Encounter, a

relatively unknown periodical,
announced a short story contest
through The Hindu, the writer went
to the British Council Library to find
out more about the periodical.
When he read the editor’s name, it
sounded familiar. It was the poet
who had visited the Gemini Studios.
His name was Stephen Spender.