Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language magazine ''
Ananda Vikatan
''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India.
History and profile
''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...
'' and the film production company
Gemini Studios
Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Sub ...
, Gemini Film Laboratories and Gemini Picture Circuit. He was a member of parliament (Rajya Sabha) from 1964 and served his term till his death.
Vasan was born in
Thiruthuraipoondi
Thiruthuraipoondi is a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruthuraipoondi is an agricultural town located south of Thiruvarur district.
Tirutturaipundi is a taluk in Tanjore District (Madras Presidency), afte ...
in the then
Tanjore district
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...
but was forced to migrate to
Madras following the death of his father at an early age. Vasan discontinued his studies before graduation and set up a flourishing mail order and advertising business.
In 1928, Vasan purchased a struggling Tamil magazine ''
Ananda Vikatan
''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India.
History and profile
''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...
'' that was published by Budalur Vaidyanadhaiyar since February 1926 and has stopped publication in December 1927. Vasan bought the publication in January 1928 and relaunched it with the same name but in a different format from February 1928. ''Ananda Vikatan'', subsequently, emerged as the leading Tamil magazine in the then
Madras Presidency and continues to be the oldest and most respected Tamil magazine till this day.
Vasan entered the Tamil film industry in 1936 when his novel ''Sathi Leelavathi'' was made into a film.
In 1940, he purchased the Motion Picture Producers Combine, a film studio and renamed it
Gemini Studios
Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Sub ...
. Gemini Studios made a number of successful Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies from 1940 to 1969, notable ones being ''
Mangamma Sapatham'', ''
Aboorva Sagotharargal'', ''
Nandanaar
Nandanar (also spelt as Nantanar), also known as Tirunalaippovar (Thirunaallaippovaar (The one who will go tomorrow)) and Tiru Nalai Povar Nayanar,Other names include: Nandan (Nanda, Nantan), Tirunalaipovanar, Nalaippovar, Nalaippovan was a N ...
'', ''
Bala Nagamma'', ''
Miss Malini
''Miss Malini'' is a 1947 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language satire (film and television), satirical film written and directed by Kothamangalam Subbu and produced by K. Ramnoth, based on a story by R. K. Narayan. Subbu also starred in the ...
'', ''
Chandralekha'', ''
Vanjikkottai Valiban'', ''
Nishan'', ''
Mangala
Mangala (Sanskrit: मङ्गल, IAST: ) is the personification, as well as the name for the planet Mars, in Hindu literature. Also known as Lohita (), he is the celibate deity of anger, aggression, as well as war. According to Vaishnavism, ...
'', ''
Sansar'', ''
Insaniyat'', ''
Paigham'', ''
Raj Tilak'', ''
Ghunghat'', ''
Grahasti
''Grihasti'' is a family drama produced by Sphere Origins, that aired on Star Plus during weekday afternoons. The show premiered on 25 February 2008 and aired until 27 March 2009.
Synopsis
''Grihasti'' is based upon the Khurana family. After t ...
'', ''
Gharana
In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...
'', ''
Zindagi'', ''
Aurat'', ''
Shatranj
Shatranj ( ar, شطرنج; fa, شترنج; from Middle Persian ''chatrang'' ) is an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire. Its origins are in the Indian game of chaturaṅga. Modern chess gradually developed from this game, as i ...
'', ''
Vazhkai Padagu
''Vaazhkai Padagu'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by C. Srinivasan and produced by S. S. Vasan under Gemini Studios. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, Devika and R. Muthuraman, with S. V. Ranga Rao, K. Balaji R. S. Ma ...
'', ''
Motor Sundaram Pillai
''Motor Sundaram Pillai'' is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by S. S. Balan and written by Veppathur Kittoo. A remake of the Hindi film '' Grahasti'' (1963), itself based on the American film '' The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker ...
'', ''
Olivilakku
''Oli Vilakku'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by Tapi Chanakya and produced by S. S. Vasan. It is a remake of the Hindi-language film '' Phool Aur Patthar'' (1966). The film stars M. G. Ramachandran (in his 100th fil ...
'', ''
Chakradhari'', ''
Avvaiyar'' and ''
Irumbu Thirai''. Vasan also directed some of his later movies, the first being ''Chandralekha'', which is considered by critics and film historians to be a milestone in Indian cinema. Vasan died in Madras on 26 August 1969, at the age of 65.
Vasan was an accomplished writer and translator and a hugely successful journalist. As a director, Vasan was known for his grandiose sets and innovative techniques that he introduced. Film historian
Randor Guy hailed Vasan as the "
Cecil B. De Mille of India".
He was the first film and media personality to be invited to be a member of parliament in India's Rajya Sabha where he advocated the granting of industry status to the film trade (a battle still being fought). He was one of the founders of Film Federation India, Producer's Guild of India and the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce. He was awarded the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1969, the year of his death, by the government of India for his extraordinary contribution to Indian media.
The Government of India and the Postal department released postage stamps bearing his likeness on 26 August 2004, the year of his centenary.
Early life
Vasan was born in the town of
Thiruthuraipoondi
Thiruthuraipoondi is a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruthuraipoondi is an agricultural town located south of Thiruvarur district.
Tirutturaipundi is a taluk in Tanjore District (Madras Presidency), afte ...
in the
Tanjore district
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...
into a poor family. While his official date of birth is listed as 10 March 1903, according to his family, he was born on 4 January 1904. Film historian
Randor Guy suggested that Vasan's date of birth may have been
deliberately fabricated to help in his school admission.
''Ananda Vikatan''
By the late 1920s, Vasan had begun to make considerable profits and one of the magazines he advertised in (almost dominated) was a local Tamil humour magazine ''Ananda Bodhini'' with a circulation of about 2000. During this period, Vasan wrote a number of short stories for the Tamil magazines he brought advertisements for, with mixed success. He also translated popular English fiction and ran a successful mail order business.
In 1928, Vasan purchased a struggling Tamil magazine ''
Ananda Vikatan
''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India.
History and profile
''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...
'' that was published by Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar since February 1926 and has stopped publication in December 1927. Vasan bought the publication in January 1928 and relaunched it with the same name but in a different format from February 1928.
He completely revamped it by introducing serial stories and crossword puzzles. Vasan followed a rigorous marketing strategy which eventually saw the emergence of ''Ananda Vikatan'' as the best selling Tamil magazine of the time.
with a readership touching 30,000 within a few months and growing to hundreds of thousands of readers in the following decades. In 1933, he started a humour magazine in English called ''The
Merry Magazine'' and in 1934, a Tamil weekly called ''Naradhar'' devoted to arts, politics, literature and social issues, both of which were successful.
In 1934, ''Ananda Vikatan'' became the first Tamil magazine to advertise in the British periodicals ''Advertiser's Review'' and ''Advertiser's Weekly''.
A key to Vasan's success was his ability to find and nurture talent and one of the biggest breaks came in the early 1930s when Vasan found a new writer
Kalki Krishnamurthy
, birth_name = Ramasamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Puthamangalam, near Manalmedu
, death_date =
, death_place = Chennai, India
, occupation = journalist, critic and writer
, nationality = Indian
, education = H ...
in whose writing he saw great potential. Kalki was living at the time with his family in Mayiladuthurai and Vasan without having met him in person unhesitatingly sent him money and tickets to move to Madras with his family and take up the role of the editor of his new magazine. Kalki and Vasan created history in the decade or so where they were professionally aligned and remained close friends for life. Another part of this successful team was
Kalki Sadasivam who was a dynamic ad-man and was able to follow through Vasan's vision for marketing strategy. Sadasivam was also the legendary M.S. Subbulakshmi's husband. MS and Mrs Vasan were extremely close friends till the end of their days. ''Ananda Vikatan'' remained the foremost Tamil magazine without serious competition until 1941, when the editor ''Kalki Krishnamurthy'' and the dynamic marketing manager ''Kalki Sadasivam'' left the ''Ananda Vikatan'' to participate in the freedom struggle and hence got imprisoned. They then started the ''
Kalki
Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...
''.
''Ananda Vikatan'', a part of the Vikatan group today continues to be one of the leading names in Tamil households and celebrates 97 years of publishing being the oldest vernacular magazine in the country. It now encompasses seven print magazines under its umbrella and has been the starting point of many major writers, artists and media personalities in South India.
Movies
In 1936, Vasan's Tamil novel ''Sathi Leelavathi'' was made into
a film by Manorama Films. Two years later, he became a film distributor when he obtained the distribution rights for films made by the Madras United Artists' Association. He was the financier-distributor of the film
Thyagabhoomi in 1939 that set new trends in various arenas. Thyagabhoomi was a serial novel written by Kalki in Ananda Vikatan while simultaneously being made as a film by noted film producer
K Subrahmanyam who was also a close friend. Causing ripples and becoming a huge success, it was subsequently banned by the then British government for its strong theme of the Indian freedom movement in addition to other social issues. The film was a milestone in the annals of Tamil film history in many fronts.
When a fire broke out in 1940 in the premises of the Motion Picture Producers Combine, a prominent film studio owned by K Subrahmanyam, damaging it completely, Vasan purchased the studio, rebuilt and renamed it as the
Gemini Studios
Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Sub ...
. It is purported that the name was chosen because Vasan was an extremely successful punter, involved in horse racing at that time and owned a successful race horse named Gemini Star. However, his family cite the reason to choose "Gemini" as it was the natal moon sign of Vasan's wife Pattamal, who was not only his strongest supporter but who brought his family great luck. An interesting point of note was that the "model" for the Gemini twins logo was inspired on the day the name was coined when Vasan was visiting his friend K Subrahmanyam and his toddler son Balakrishnan ran out in his underwear and stood holding a bugle.
That very year, the Gemini Studios produced their first movie, ''
Madanakamarajan
''Madana Kama Rajan'' () is a 1941 Indian Tamil-language adventure film directed by B. N . Rao and produced by S. S. Vasan. It was the first film for Vasan as producer for Dindugal Amirtham Talkies.
Plot
''Madana Kama Rajan'' is tale of the adv ...
'', which was a box-office success. Vasan followed it with ''
Mangamma Sapatham'' and ''
Miss Malini
''Miss Malini'' is a 1947 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language satire (film and television), satirical film written and directed by Kothamangalam Subbu and produced by K. Ramnoth, based on a story by R. K. Narayan. Subbu also starred in the ...
'' both of which were successful. ''Miss Malini'', based on the story ''Mr. Sampath'' by
R. K. Narayan, launched the career of
Gemini Ganesan
Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred to as the ''Kaadhal Mannan'' (King of Romance) for his romantic roles ...
, who later became a leading actor in the Tamil film industry. The Hindi version of this film was ''Mr Sampath'' in Hindi and, these films are the only adaptation of his novels that the famous writer
R. K. Narayan was involved in the scripting of the screenplay. ''Mangamma Sabatham'' launched
Vasundhara Devi
Vasundhara Devi (1917-1988) was an Indian actress, trained Bharathanatyam dancer and carnatic singer. The Indian actress Vyjayanthimala is her daughter.
Filmography
*(1941) '' Rishyasringar''
*(1943) '' Mangamma Sapatham''
*(1947) ''Udayanan ...
, the mother of actor-politician
Vyjayanthimala Bali as the lead and created a craze making her a huge star in just one film. The picture was directed by
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...
, one of the early brilliants of Tamil cinema. In 1942, Gemini also made
Bala Nagamma, a silver jubilee hit in Telugu based on a popular folk tale which captured the imaginations of the audience and was hugely successful. It was the last film to star Kanchanamala and was an important film in the career of
Pushpavalli. Bala Nagamma was later adapted into Hindi with
Madhubala
Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, ...
playin the lead and
Savitri making her Hindi debut as
Bahut Din Huwe
''Bahut Din Huwe'' () is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language film directed by S. S. Vasan, produced by Gemini Studios and starring Madhubala. It is a remake of the Telugu film '' Bala Nagamma'' (1942).
''Bahut Din Huwe'' received lukewarm reviews fro ...
with the addition of the climax borrowed from another Gemini Film,
Avvaiyar which used elephants to the rescue. This was especially hugely successful in Maharashtra with their devotion to Lord Ganesha. Other successes during the period leading to independence included comedy capers like Kannama En Kadhali, Daasi Aparanji – a period social satire and
Apoorva Sagotharargal, an adaptation of the story of the Corsican Brothers – a tale of co-joined twins separated at birth. It was one of the first films in India and one of the first few in the world that had a double role for the lead
M. K. Radha who played both brothers. It also set the trend for innumerable successful films in India that had siblings, especially look-alike ones that were separated at birth and grew up in two different circumstances a la Prince and the Pauper or Man in the Iron Mask only to be switched or join forces to exact revenge. The actor-politician,
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
picked this film to remake as "Neerum Neruppum" as a tribute and homage to Vasan in 1971 and earlier in 1968 had done his 100th film ''Oli Vilakku'', particular that it be a Gemini production. Another successful film in this period, a devotional ''Nandanaar'' was a controversial story of a harijan man overcoming the shackles of the caste oppression to gain admittance into the Chidambaram Nataraja temple with divine sanction, hence becoming a Nayanmar shaivite saint. This starred the famous singer
Dandapani Desikar with the film and soundtrack becoming a runaway superhit in Tamil Nadu. Technically, it was the first film in India that used playback singing in a portion where a divine song, a call to the saint in a heavenly voice rings out of the ether – this of course set a trend for playback singers and revolutionised the necessity to use singer-actors for films that had been the norm through the 1930s and early 1940s.
Vasan's involvement in films eventually led him to direct his first movie, ''
Chandralekha''. He was really preparing his big post-independence break. The 1948 Tamil
Chennai film industry classic ''
Chandralekha'' was rereleased in Hindi and Tamil.
While the film was original begun under the direction of Acharya who had earlier directed landmark Gemini films like Mangamma Sabatham, differences of opinion between Vasan and Acharya led to the director stepping down from the film. Vasan then donned the role of director in addition to being the producer of the epic movie. The film, a spectacle, is remembered for its drum dance and extensive sword fight sequence. 603 prints of Chandralekha were made and the film was even released in the United States as ''Chandra'' with English subtitles – the first Indian film to do so! Even now, a print exists in the Library of Congress as representative of classic Indian cinema. Vasan encouraged his dear friend
Tarachand Barjatya
Tarachand Barjatya (10 May 1914 – 21 September 1992) was an Indian film producer. He has produced many Hindi films from the 1960s through to the 1980s. He founded Rajshri Productions which continues to produce films even today. His mainstay w ...
to found Rajshri Pictures in 1947 and assigned him the distribution of ''Chandralekha'' in the North, the first project distributed by Rajshri and one of the biggest successes of its time thus spurring off the growth stories of one of the biggest distributors and producers of Indian cinema today.
Released in 1948, after five years in production, the film became a highly acclaimed film of the period. It had the first drum-dance and the longest sword-fight sequence captured on film in the world. It was the costliest Indian film made until then and was the first major Indian film to be dubbed into English and released internationally. Made for a budget of Rs 3.6 million in 1948, the budget adjusted for inflation (equaling approximately Rs 1.62 billion today) makes it one of the most expensive films ever made for half a century in India. The Hindi version of the film was one of the first South Indian productions that found all India success and can be hailed as one of the first pan-Indian major blockbuster. Following the success of ''Chandralekha'', Gemini Studios made several films in Hindi that include ''
Insaniyat'', ''
Aurat'',
Paigham,
Gharana
In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...
, ''Grahasti'', ''Ghoongat'',
Zindagi, ''Mr Sampat'', ''Sansar'', ''Lakhon Mein Ek'', ''Raj Tilak'', ''Nishan'', ''Mangala'', ''Bahut Din Hue'', ''Teen Bahuraniyan'' and ''Shatranj'' that all found Box office success. Insaniyat was one of the only films to star both
Dilip Kumar
Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from ...
and
Dev Anand
Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...
and Gemini films first begun the practice of making popular ensemble cast films with multiple leading men. Although films have been made by Gemini and Vasan with almost all the top leading heroes of the time including
Raaj Kumar
Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. He appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film '' Mother India'' and starred in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over fo ...
, Rajendra Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, there was no picture that Gemini made with Raj Kapoor while there were two that had Prithviraj Kapoor making a comeback in strong supporting roles in ''Teen Bahuraniyan'' and ''Zindagi''. Aurat had one of
Rajesh Khanna's first major on-screen roles before he got his major break as a leading man. Similarly, Amitabh Bachchan got his opportunity to become introduced as the male lead man opposite Mala Sinha in a Gemini production (produced and directed by S.S. Balan, Vasan's son), ''Sanjog'' shortly after ''Saat Hindustani'' and just before his success with ''Zanjeer''. Many technicians, writers, directors, producers and artistes across India were introduced into the media world by Gemini and even personally encouraged or mentored by Vasan and later by his son Balan. In the 1950s Gemini Pictures came out with films both in Tamil and Hindi in addition to Telugu and other regional languages. Popular Hindi films include ''Mr. Sampat'' (1952),
Insaniyat (1955),
Raj Tilak (1958) and
Paigham (1959).
In 1958, he established Gemini Colour Laboratories and believed in establishing the Film Trade on professional lines. His vision saw establish one of the first media conglomerates in the world that were vertically aligned that included the Gemini Picture Circuit – one of the largest film distributors in the country that saw a variety of Indian and foreign films release under its umbrella across the nation. He noted that success of a film depended on its distribution and found its validation with the success of the GPC. The Gemini Studios was also the location of choice for various film shootings across the country and also boasted of having the first air-condition floors in addition to the largest sound stages in Asia at the time. Some famous and milestone films shot at Gemini studios include
Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar (8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian cl ...
's
Kalpana, a dance and visual extravaganza that was being made simultaneously with Chandralekha and in fact inspired the drum dance sequence. Meticulously organised, Gemini Studios ran like a factory churning out successful films in multiple languages for 30 years under his dynamic vision. The distribution network was spread across South Asia and even had trade links with Hollywood, London and Russia. Additionally, the ownership and popularity of the magazine Ananda Vikatan under his aegis completed the vertical alignment of the media empire. Major films in Tamil include "Avvaiyyar" (1952) on the life of the poet-saint that was directed and produced by Vasan at lavish cost and that found everlasting success starring
K. B. Sundarambal who was persuaded to act in the film (as she had been widowed a few years earlier) for a whopping sum or Rs 100,000 rupees which was the highest ever fee for an actor in India at the time. Other extremely successful Tamil films produced and some directed by him include ''Mangamma Sabatham'', ''Vazhkai Padagu'', ''Nandanaar'', ''Motor Sundaram Pillai'', "Oli Vilakku", ''Chakradhari'', ''Aboorva Sagotharargal'',
Vanji Kottai Valipan,
Irumbu Thirai.
Vasan was the President of the
Film Federation of India
The Film Federation of India (FFI) is an apex body of the Indian film producers (around 18,000), distributors (around 20,000), exhibitors (around 12,000) and studio owners, headquartered in Mumbai.Shahid Alikhan, R. A. Mashelkar, "Intellectual pro ...
for two terms, helping found it and was even nominated to the Rajya Sabha (the first film producer to be an MP of the Rajya Sabha). He also helped found the South Indian Film Chamber. He pushed for extensive reforms of the film trade, gave up cash transactions in film financing as early as the 1950s and was one of the first pioneers to ask for industry status. He was the given the Padma Bhushan by the Govt. of India in 1969, the year of his death. His son S. S. Balan was mentored by him, and ran the flourishing Gemini Studios and Vasan Publications (''Ananda Vikatan'') till the concept of movie studios themselves were threatened in the 1970s. Balan had been a successful director promoting independent cinema and having written as well as directed successful movies prior to the 1970s. However, an expensive production in 4 languages (Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada) in the mid 1970s that failed to make its mark at the box office dealt a fatal blow to the studios that were then sold in the 1980s. The Gemini banner now continues to be owned by the
L. V. Prasad
Akkineni Laxmi Vara Prasada Rao (17 January 1907 – 22 June 1994), known professionally as L. V. Prasad, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, and businessman. He was one of the pioneers of Indian cinema and is the recipient of the Dad ...
family of Prasad Studios. Balan continued as editor and managing director of ''Ananda Vikatan'' and launched the first Tamil investigative journal, ''Junior Vikatan'', which became very successful till 2006, and he is now Chairman of the Vikatan Group. At the time in the media and film world, especially since many had come from the mentorship of either Gemini or Vikatan, everyone used to address Mr Vasan, "Boss" (including his own son) and that is how he was universally referred to – indicating his power and the respect he inspired.
Gemini Pictures declined in the 1970s although it has remained successful as a studio and equipment rental business though no longer held by his family. ''Ananda Vikatan'' under Vasan Publications has branched off into being one of the largest media groups in Tamil Nadu and continues to be privately held within family.
Legacy
Vasan believed that films were meant to entertain and were meant to be catered to the ordinary man. Colossal production values, huge sets, mammoth dances, thousands of extras were his hallmark. It can be said that a direct development of the use of song, dance and pageantry in film became almost a hallmark of Indian/Bollywood cinema and gave rise to the Madras formula of success. In more recent decades, this unfortunately overshadowed all the other cinematic values to have become almost the blueprint for formula films of India. Gemini was also the first to pioneer innovative marketing and PR plans for the release of films including the first to use the concept of giant 'cut-outs' and billboards beginning with Chandralekha. A vast number of reigning film and media professionals came out from the mentorship or employment of Gemini Studios.
Filmography
Selected and available filmography has been listed.
As director
As Producer
References
External links
S.S Vasan Biography*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasan, S. S.
1904 births
1969 deaths
Age controversies
Businesspeople from Tamil Nadu
Indian mass media owners
Tamil film directors
Tamil-language film directors
Film directors from Tamil Nadu
Film producers from Tamil Nadu
People from Tiruvarur district
20th-century Indian film directors
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Tamil film producers