Gemini Ganesan

Gemini Ganesan
File:Geminiganesan 1.jpg
Born	Ramaswamy Ganesan (1920-11-17)November 17, 1920 Pudukkottai state
Died	March 22, 2005(2005-03-22) (aged 84) Chennai, India
Other names	Kadhal Mannan, Gemini Ganesh, Gemini Mama, Saambaar
Alma mater	Madras Christian College, Chennai
Occupation	Film actor
Years active	1947–2002
Spouse(s)	Alamelu Ganesan (1940–2005) (His death) Pushpavalli Ganesan Savitri Ganesan (1954–1981) (Deceased) Julianna
Children	Rekha

Ramaswamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), popularly known as Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian film actor who worked mainly in Tamil films. He was nicknamed "Kadhal Mannan" (King of Romance) for the romantic roles he played in films. Ganesan was one among the "three biggest names of Tamil cinema", the other two being M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. While Sivaji Ganesan excelled in films with drama, and MGR dominated films with fight sequences, Gemini Ganesan held his own with sensitive portrayals of the yearning lover. In his long film career spanning over five decades, Ganesan acted in more than 200 films mainly in Tamil, and a few in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. His performances on the screen were enhanced by successful playback singers like A. M. Rajah and P. B. Sreenivas.

Early life

Born on 17 November 1920, Gemini Ganesan belonged to a middle class Tamil Brahmin family residing at Pudukottai district, Tamil Nadu. He was the son of Ramaswamy and Gangamma. Ganesan was highly inspired by his grandfather Narayanaswami, who took care of the family when he was a child. His grandfather died when he was in the sixth class and later on, he lost his father as well. After the death of his father, Ganesan, along with his grandmother Bagirathi and mother Gangamma, moved to his aunt Muthulakshmi’s residence, in Madras (now known as Chennai). City life did not suit Gangamma, and she decided to go back to Pudhukkottai.

Education

Since Gemini Ganesan’s aunt Muthulakshmi was an ardent follower of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, she decided to enroll him into Ramakrishna Mission Home. There, he was taught yoga and sanskrit and made to read Upanishads, Vedas and Bhagavad Gita as well. He spent a disciplined life at the Home and became an expert in Yoga. However, he could not bear the agony of being separated from his mother, who was residing at Pudukkottai. Therefore, he returned to his native place and joined a high-school there. Later on, he joined Maharajah's College, located in the same place. However, he completed his graduation at Madras Christian College, Chennai.

Early work

Ganesan’s dream was to become a doctor. In April 1940 he went to Trichy to see T.R. Alamelu. Alamelu’s father proposed his daughter in marriage and promised him a medical seat after graduation. Ganesan immediately agreed and married Alamelu in June 1940. Alamelu lost her father and her elder sister within one month of her marriage. Ganesan's dreams of becoming a doctor shattered. There was no choice left for him but to find a job immediately as he was the only person to support his family. He got an interview from Indian Air Force. Much against Alamelu’s wishes Ganesan went to Delhi. In Delhi he met his uncle Narayanaswami who advised him to become a teacher. Finally, Ganesan worked as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, at Madras Christian College. Later on, he took up the job of a production executive in Gemini Studios in 1947, from where the title “Gemini” was added to his name. He received an entry to films from the casting department of the Studio itself.

Career

Initial years

File:Missmalini gemini.jpg

Gemini Ganesan in his debut film Miss Malini (1947)

From the casting department, Ganesan made his film debut with Miss Malini in 1947, in a minor role. The film was a box office failure as it was considered "ahead of it's time", but was well received by intellectuals. The film is currently lost. This was followed by Chakradhari, in which he played another minor role as Lord Krishna. The film was a box-office success, but his performance went unnoticed. It was not until 1953, when he played a villainous role in the film Thai Ullam, did people take notice of him as an actor. The next year, he appeared in a supporting role in the Gemini Studios production Moondru Pillaigal, which was unsuccessful. He was then cast as a hero for the first time with Manampol Mangalyam. The film paired him with his future wife Savitri, and became a "milestone in his life". From then on, he carved out a niche for himself in Tamil cinema with films that required a lot of romance but little action.

Stardom in south

In his career spanning nearly 50 years, Ganesan played a variety of roles, from Abhimanyu in Maya Bazaar (1957) to freedom fighter Madasamy in Kappalotiya Thamizhan (1961), and in Pennin Perumai (1960), he played a non-assertive imbecile morphing into a well-moulded human being. Ganesan also starred in Kalathur Kannamma (1959), which was also the debut for Kamal Haasan, who would later become one of the leading actors in Tamil cinema. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 1961. Ganesan also starred in Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) alongside Sivaji Ganesan. The film was selected for the Afro-Asian Film Festival in 1960. It was also nominated for the National Film Award in in 1960, along with Gemini Ganesan's Kalyana Parisu, but both lost to Bhaaga Pirivinai. The Ruritanian romance film Vanjikottai Valiban (1958) was a high budget film and became a huge commercial success due to much hype. His 1961 film Then Nilavu was the first Tamil film to be shot extensively in Jammu and Kashmir, and became a great success at the box office. He co-starred with rival actor M. G. Ramachandran in Muharasi (1966), which was their only film together. Ganesan's best performance is considered to be in his home production, Naan Avan Illai (1974) in which he played many roles as seducer of women. Directed by K. Balachandar, this film won high critical praise for Ganesan's performance but according to him, the film did not succeed commercially.

Some of his other best works include Missiamma, School Master, Parthiban Kanavu, Konjum Salangai, Kanavane Kan Kanda Deivam, Meenda Sorgam, Shanti Nilayam, Vaazhkai Padagu, Katpaham, Ramu, Thamarai Nenjam, Punnagai and Naan Avan Illai. Unlike the other two leading actors of that time - Sivaji Ganesan and MGR, Gemini Ganesan did not come from a stage background. This made his screen presence refreshingly credible and his acting was not stylised. He sustained his film career without the support of any fan club or backing of a political party. He stayed away from politics, even declining a Rajya Sabha MP offer by Rajiv Gandhi. The only time he got anywhere near politics was, when he organised a function for poet Subramania Bharathi at Ettayapuram in 1963.

Bollywood career

Gemini Ganesan acted in a few Hindi films, though without much success. Notably, he played the lead role in Raj Tilak (1958), which was the Hindi remake of his own Vanjikottai Valiban. The film was a box office failure, and collapsed within a week of release. He also did a guest role in Nazrana (1961), the Hindi remake of his own Kalyana Parisu, that had him in the lead. Though the film was an average grosser, it was the 12th highest-grossing film of the year.

Later years

Later in his career, he switched to little different character roles. Notable among these was the Telugu film Rudraveena (remade in Tamil as Unnal Mudiyum Thambi), considered one of his best films in Telugu. Another notable film was Avvai Shanmughi (1996), in which characteristically, he entered into the skin of an old man longing for an old maid, portrayed by Kamal Haasan. Towards the end of his acting career he kept himself busy with elegant roles in television serials. Idhaya Malar (1976), that starred Kamal Haasan and Y. G. Mahendran was Gemini Ganesan's only film as a director.

Criticism

Despite being among the most successful actors of Tamil cinema during his time, Gemini Ganesan's talents were not properly exploited and were mostly confined to "boy meets girl" romantic films. His hostile relationship with daughter Rekha was also a major criticism. He did not acknowledge Rekha's paternity during her childhood. It was in the early 1970s, when Rekha was looking for a footing in Bollywood, that she revealed her origins. Later, at the peak of her career, Rekha told a magazine interviewer that her father's neglect still rankled and that she had ignored his efforts at reconciliation. She did not even attend her father's funeral in 2005, and once when asked about their relationship in a televised interview, she paused with silence and revealed nothing.

Death

After a prolonged illness caused by renal failure and multiple organ failure, Ganesan was found dead at his residence on 22 March 2005, 13:30 IST. He was cremated with full state honours. Prominent personalities including Tamil Nadu's chief ministers M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha paid their last respects to the veteran actor.

Personal life

Gemini Ganesan, at 19, was first married to Alamelu, who he fondly called as "Bopji". She is considered his first and only legal wife. He later married actresses Pushpavalli and Savitri. He is survived by seven daughters and a son. Pushpavalli and Ganesan have four daughters: Three of them - Revathy, Kamala and Jeya are medical doctors, the fourth Narayani is a journalist at The Times of India. Ganesan has two daughters by Pushpavalli - Bollywood actress Rekha, and Radha. The latter acted in a few Tamil films, but then opted for marriage and migration to the United States. Savithri and Ganesan have two children: a daughter Vijayasamundeeswari who is a Physiotherapist, and acted in films as a child artiste “Baby Savithri”, and Ganesan’s only son Satheesh Kumar. Ganesan's fourth and last wife, whom he married at the age of 78 was a then 36-year old Julianna. According to one report, "Juliana left her job and people, to be near her husband, who said he needed a younger wife to attend on him, as first-wife Babji too was advancing in years." He, however, publicly admitted that he was closest to his first wife, Bopji, than Pushpavalli or Savithri. The actor had noted in his autobiography Vaazhkai Padagu: ‘‘Somehow, I seemed to attract women who were in distress.’’

Awards

• 1970 – Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for Kaaviya Thalaivi
• 1971 – Padma Shri Award
• 1974 – Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor for Naan Avanillai
• 1993 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South

Filmography

Main article: Gemini Ganesan filmography

External links

• http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14539551&page=2.
• Gemini Ganesan at IMDb
• Article about Gemini Ganesan by his daughter Jaya Shreedhar
• Star and a versatile actor
• Gemini Ganesan - Romance King of Tamil Films: By D.B.S. Jeyaraj