Page 1 - Microsoft Word - LN POETS AND PANCAKES

Chapter- 17 Poets and Pancakes- ASHOKAMITRAN

The lesson is taken from the book ‘My years with the boss’ written by Asokamitran. In this
excerpt, he talks about all the elements that kept Gemini Studios running. From Pancake
make-up to the office boy of the make-up department, from Subbu to the lawyer, every
element helped in making Gemini Studios a successful film producing company.

MAKE UP DEPARTMENT:
The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a
dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of
those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who
became too big for a studio and left. He 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 there was a great deal of national integration long
before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. Just
like any large organisation, the make-up studio followed a hierarchy where the chief make-
up man made the lead actors and actresses ugly, his senior assistant- the ‘second’ hero and
heroine, the junior assistant- the main comedian, and the office boy helped in making the
remaining crowd look ugly at times of crowd shooting (when the scene was shot on a group
or a crowd).

DUTY OF THE NARRATOR:

The duty of Asokamitran in Gemini Studios was to cut out newspaper clippings on a wide
variety of subjects and store them in files. Many of these had to be written out by hand. He
was given a small area in a room with French windows on two of its sides. Considering the
nature of his job, most people thought his job to be insignificant and he suspected that his
boss used to think likewise. Therefore, people took it as an incentive to go uninvitedly in his
cubicle, to lecture him about doing something real. Even the office boy would barge in to
share his views of how poetic talent was getting wasted in the make-up department. Thus,
Asokamitran would pray for crowd shooting, which was the only way to keep the office boy
busy and save him from his stories.

SUBBU AS NO 2 IN THE STUDIO:

The boy from the make-up department was very well-convinced that the main reason for all
his misery was Kothamangalam Subbu. Subbu was privileged enough to get a better opening
in films than the make-up boy even though he was less educated and entered this line in its
initial stages. He was born a Brahmin which was considered to be a virtue, because of which
he could associate with well-off people and be in comfortable situations. He was a cheerful
man, capable of keeping a happy face even after his film couldn’t do well. Subbu was a very
resourceful man who always had some sort of work for everyone. He was bad at doing things
on his own but his immense loyalty made him a man of importance. He was well known for
his creativity and everybody thought that he was a perfect fit in the profession of film-making.
One had to only tell him a scenario and he would come with many different ways to perform