Poets & Pancakes

About The Author
ASOKAMITRAN (1931 - 2017)

• Asokamitran was the pen name of Jagadisa
Thyagarajan, an Indian writer regarded one of
the most influential figures in Post
Independence Tamil Literature.
• He authored more than two hundred short
stories, and a dozen novellas and novels.
• He worked for more than a decade at the
Gemini Studios.
• He began writing about his experiences of
working at the Gemini studios.
• He began writing about his experiences of
working in the film industry in a set of columns
for the Illustrated Weekly of India; these
columns later became his book, "MY YEARS
WITH BOSS".
About The Story
• "Poets and pancakes" is a humorous and interesting
account of Asokamitran's experiences at the famous
Gemini Studios in Madras during the Pre-Independent
India.
• It has interesting descriptions of personalities in a film
company in the early days of Indian Cinema.
• He vivdly brings out some of the eccentricities and
weaknesses of the characters in a delightful manner.
• Is also tells about the political and national ideologies,
the struggles & unfulfilled ambitions of aspiring writers
and actors, Western & Colonial influence on local Indian
culture and the Literary tastes of that time.
• The present chapter is an excerpt from his book "My
Years with Boss."
About The Story
• Poets and Pancakes is based on the initial years of the
Indian film industry and is an important description of the
same.
• The writer mentions the famous makeup brand-Pancake
that the makeup artists put on the actresses’ faces in
abundance and make them look ugly.
• He talks about the office boy who complains of favoritism,
and the same stop him from becoming a star actor, director,
or lyrics writer.
• The writer mentions that the reason behind the office boy’s
misery is Subbu, who gets an underlined advantage because
he is a Brahmin.
• He talks about a guest that no one knew much about and
later understanding the reason for his visit.
About The Story
About The Story
About The Story
FAMOUS ACTRESSES OF THAT TIME
About The Story
About The Story
About The Story
About The Story
About The Story
About The Characters
• He is the author of this

lesson and used to
work as an employee
of Gemini Studio.
• His job was to cut

newspaper clippings
on different topics and
make a file on it.
• The other members of

his staff looked down
upon his work and felt
superior to him always.
THE BOSS: Mr.S.S.VASAN
• He is the founder of Gemini

Studios.
• He had a liking for learned,

knowlwdgeable and scholarly
persons.
• He seems to be a trustful.
man who is surrounded bu
shallow people and
sycophants (flatterers).
LEGAL ADVISOR
Chapter Highlights
• The Gemini studio was located in Madras (Chennai).
• The writer recounts his years in the company.
• The make-up department was in the upstairs of a building

that was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables.
• Pancake was the brand name of the make- up the material

used by the artists in Gemini Studios.
• The make-up room had the look of a hair -cutting salon with
incandescent lights at all angles around half a dozen large
mirrors, the writer speaks about the ‘fiery misery’ ‘of those
subjected to make-up.
Chapter Highlights
• There was a great deal of ‘national integration’ in the

department and a strict hierarchy was maintained there.
• The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of

the ‘office boy’ in his early forties, a frustrated person, who
turned all his anger towards Kothamanagalam Subbu.
• The author’s job was to cut out newspaper clippings and

store them in files.
• Most people including the ‘boy’ thought author was doing

‘next to nothing’.
Chapter Highlights
• S S Vasan (editor of Tamil weekly Ananada Vikatan’) was

the owner of the studios.
• Subbu was No.2. Subbu – a Brahmin, had the ability to look

cheerful at all times, could be ‘inspired when commanded’,
was tailor-made for films, had a separate identity as a poet
and actor, had a genuine love for bothers, was charitable,
always seen with The Boss, attached to Story.
• Department. Story Department – assembly of poets and

writers wore khadi
Chapter Highlights
• A lawyer(legal adviser) – referred to as ‘the opposite’-

caused the end of a brief and the brilliant career of a
talented actress, looked ‘alone and helpless’, a man of cold
logic in a crowd of dreamers, close to the Boss, wore pants,
coat and a tie, attached to Story Department, lost his job
when the Story Department was closed down.
• Gemini studios –a favourite haunt of poets, an excellent

mess which supplied good coffee, Congress rule meant
prohibition, almost everyone radiated leisure, wore Khadi
and worshipped Gandhi, averse to Communism.
Chapter Highlights
• Visit of MRA (a kind of counter-movement to international Communism) in 1952-

presented two plays ‘The Forgotten Factor’ and ‘Jotham Valley’ in a professional
manner impressed Madras and Tamil drama community.
• Another visitor – a poet from England, tall man, very English, addressed ‘a more
dazed and silent audience’, visit remained an unexplained mystery, staff did not
know whether he was a poet or an editor.
• Author’s conviction about prose-writers –‘prose writing is for the patient,

persistent, persevering drudge’, short story contest by a British periodical ‘The
Encounter’-found in the British Council Library almost untouched by readers’,
discovered Stephen Spender was the editor.
• The author bought ‘The God That Failed’ years later –six essays describing the
disillusionment of six eminent men of letters with Communism, Stephen
Spender one among them, the author suddenly realized the relevance of his visit
to Gemini studios.

Poets & Pancakes

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About The Author

ASOKAMITRAN (1931 - 2017)

• He is the author of this

• His job was to cut

• The other members of

• He is the founder of Gemini

• He had a liking for learned,

• The Gemini studio was located in Madras (Chennai).

• The writer recounts his years in the company.

• The make-up department was in the upstairs of a building

• Pancake was the brand name of the make- up the material

• There was a great deal of ‘national integration’ in the

• The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of

• The author’s job was to cut out newspaper clippings and

• Most people including the ‘boy’ thought author was doing

• S S Vasan (editor of Tamil weekly Ananada Vikatan’) was

• Subbu was No.2. Subbu – a Brahmin, had the ability to look

• Department. Story Department – assembly of poets and

• A lawyer(legal adviser) – referred to as ‘the opposite’-

• Gemini studios –a favourite haunt of poets, an excellent

• Visit of MRA (a kind of counter-movement to international Communism) in 1952-

• Author’s conviction about prose-writers –‘prose writing is for the patient,

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