Page 2 - Microsoft Word - LN POETS AND PANCAKES

it. For instance, when the director asked him to execute a scene in which a rat kills a tigress
underwater but takes care of the cubs out of sympathy, Subbu came with four or rather,
fourteen different ways to perform it and he took less than a minute to work it out. Since
Subbu was an extremely resourceful and creative person, film-making was a lot easier when
he was around. He alone, gave gemini Studios a unique identity. Not only this, he was great
at poetry. He had the privilege of getting his poetry extraordinary recognition but he still
chose to recite it personally to the masses. His critics were of the opinion that his poetic skills
were overshadowed by his excellent film-making skills. He composed various folk ‘story
poems’ and the infamous novel Thillana Mohanambal with beautifully curated characters. He
even recreated the mood and manner of Devadasis who existed in the 20th century. Apart
from the aforementioned qualities, Subbu was a realistic actor not very fond of playing the
protagonist. Whichever role he performed, he had the ability to perform better than the main
actors. He treated everyone with sincere respect and affection, so much so that his home was
a permanent residence for all his knowns. He wasn’t even aware of the fact that he was so
welcoming. The narrator was amazed at the fact that even such a person could have enemies.
He was not sure about the reason behind such behaviour towards Subbu. He guessed it to be
his closeness with the boss, or because he said nice things about everything and everyone or
simply because he praised the boss to gain favours. Regardless, the boy in the make-up
department wished terrible things for Subbu.

THE LAWYER AND THE STORY DEPARTMENT:
The lawyer wore unique clothes, different from the usual uniform that consisted of a dhoti
made of khadi fabric and a slightly oversized khadi shirt. He was generally seen wearing pants,
tie and sometimes a coat which was like an armour. He was a neutral man with logic which
did not value human feelings and was usually seen helpless in a world full of literary
enthusiasts.

The narrator called him a ‘neutral man in the assembly of Gandhiites and Khadiites’ because
he was different from the rest of them. He was very close to the boss and just as the trend
goes, he too was allowed to produce his own film which could not do very well. A lot of make-
up products and pancake stash were used in the process. Eventually, the boss shut down the
Story Department. The narrator expresses it in a sarcastic way, that this was perhaps the only
instance in human history where a lawyer lost his job because the poets were asked to go
home. As the story department was closed, the poets were rendered workless alongwith the
lawyer.

WELCOME OF MORAL RE-ARMAMENT ARMY:

Gemini Studio displayed extreme hospitality when Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament
army consisting of 200 people came to Madras in 1952.

They were referred to as the International Circus even though they were not very good with
trapeze and the only association they had with animals, was at the dinner table - they ate non
vegetarian food and other than that, they did not interact with animals as was done in a
circus.

Their two plays that were performed with full proficiency and professionalism got a lot of
appreciation while they performed it again and again in different parts of Madras.