S. S. Vasan
| Subramaniam Srinivasan | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1903 Thiruthuraipoondi, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Died | August 26, 1969 (aged 66) Madras, India |
Subramaniam Srinivasan (10 March 1903 (official) – 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 and the film production company Gemini Studios.
Vasan was born in Thiruthuraipoondi in the then Tanjore district 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 an advertising business. In 1928, Vasan purchased a struggling Tamil magazine Ananda Bodhini and renamed and re-launched it as Ananda Vikatan. Ananda Vikatan, consequently, emerged as the leading Tamil magazine in the then Madras Presidency.
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 made a number of successful Tamil and Hindi movies from 1940 to 1969, notable ones being Mangamma Sapatham, Miss Malini, Chandralekha, Vanjikkottai Valiban and Irumputhirai. 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. Vasav died in Madras on August 26, 1969 at the age of 65 or 66.
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".
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[edit] Early life
Vasan was born in the town of Thiruthuraipoondi in the then Tanjore district in a poor Brahmin family. While his official date of birth is listed as 10-03-1903, according to his family, he was born on January 4, 1904. Vasan's father died when he was two years old. In search of better prospects, Vasan and his mother Balambal migrated to the city of Madras, where Vasan continued his studies. However, Vasan dropped out of college before his graduation and in order to support his family, started an ad agency. He applied for a job with the Madras and South Mahratta Railway but could not save enough money for the safety deposit required.
[edit] Ananda Vikatan
By the late 1920s, Vasan had begun to make considerable profits. In 1928, he purchased a struggling Tamil humour magazine named Ananda Bodhini for Rs. 200.[1] 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.[1]
Vasan renamed Ananda Bodhini as Ananda Vikatan and took over as Chief Editor.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] In 1934, Ananda Vikatan became the first Tamil magazine to advertise in the British periodicals Advertiser's Review and Advertiser's Weekly.[1] Ananda Vikatan remained the foremost Tamil magazine until 1941, when writers Kalki Krishnamurthy and Kalki Sadasivam left the editorial board of the Ananda Vikatan to start the Kalki.[1]
[edit] Movies
In 1936, Vasan's Tamil novel Sathi Leelavathi was made into a movie. Two years later, he became a film distributor when he obtained the distribution rights for films made by the Madras United Artists' Association. When a fire broke out in 1940 in the premises of the Motion Picture Producers Combine, a prominent film studio, damaging it completely, Vasan purchased the studio, rebuilt and renamed it as the Gemini Studios. The name was chosen because Vasan was also involved in horse racing at that time and owned a successful race horse named Gemini.[2] That very year, the Gemini Studios produced their first movie Madanakamarajan. Madanakamarajan was a box-office success. Vasan followed it with Mangamma Sapatham and Miss Malini both of which were successful. Miss Malini, based on the story Mr. Sampath by R. K. Narayan, launched the career of Gemini Ganesan who later became a leading actor in the Tamil film industry.
Vasan's interest in films eventually led him to direct his first movie Chandralekha. Chandralekha, which was released in 1948, after 5 years in production, became a highly successful and acclaimed film of the period. It had the first drum-dance and the longest sword-fight sequences in any Indian film. It was the costliest Indian film made until then and was the first major Indian film to be dubbed into English and released internationally. The dubbed Hindi version of the film was Vasan's first in Hindi. Following the success of Chandralekha, made a few films in Hindi, of which Insaniyat, Aurat and Shatranj were moderately successful.
However Vasan was really preparing his big post-independence break. The 1948 Tamil Chennai film industry classic Chandralekha was rereleased in Hindi, and became an influential critical and commercial success across the country, and India's first all-country hit.[3][4] 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!
In the 1950s Gemini Pictures came out with films both in Tamil and Hindi. Popular Hindi films include Mr. Sampat (1952), Insaniyat (1955), Raj Tilak (1958) and Paigam (1959).
In 1958 he established Gemini Colour Laboratories and believed in establishing the Film Trade on professional lines.
Vasan was the President of the Film Federation of India for two terms and was even nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He was the given the Padma Bhusan by the Govt. of India in 1969, the year of his death. His son SS 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 70's. Balan continued to be editor of Ananda Vikatan and launched the first Tamil investigative journal - Junior Vikatan, that became wildly successful till 2006 and is now the Chairman of the Vikatan Group.
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.
[edit] 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. Thus his films were more akin to variety entertain-ment programmes rather than true cinema.
| “ | Lavishness in production, splashing money in promoting, packaging and publicising a picture, he was a pioneer in Indian Cinema and had no equals, then, and now. `Be wise and advertise!' He had a character speak in his film "Miss. Malini" (1947), giving expression to one of his personal beliefs. And he showed what one could achieve with punch-plus publicity. | ” |
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—- Film historian Randor Guy on S.S.Vasan |
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[edit] Filmography
[edit] As director
| Year | Film | Language | Cast | Notes |
| 1948 | Chandralekha | Tamil | Ranjan, T.R.Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan, Maduram | A superhit which revolutionized Tamil cinema. Vasan's first directorial venture. |
| 1948 | Chandralekha | Hindi | Ranjan, T.R.Rajakumari, M.K.Radha | Bollywood version of S.S.Vasan's Tamil film 'Chandralekha'. Vasan's first directorial venture in Hindi |
| 1949 | Nishan | Hindi | Bhanumathi, J.S.Casshyap, Ranjan, R.Nagendra Rao, M.K.Radha | |
| 1951 | Sansar | Hindi | David Abraham | |
| 1952 | Mr. Sampat | Hindi | Motilal, Padmini, Kanhaiyalal, Swaraj, Vanaja and Agha | Film version of R. K. Narayan's novel |
| 1954 | Bahut Din Huye | Hindi | Madhubala | |
| 1955 | Insaniyat | Hindi | Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Bina Rai, Jayant and Shobhana Samarth | Remake of 1950 Telugu hit film Palletoori Pilla |
| 1958 | Vanjikkottai Valiban | Tamil | Gemini Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini | |
| 1958 | Raj Tilak | Hindi | Gemini Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Pran, Gajanan Jagirdar, Bipin Gupta, Lalita Pawar | Remake of Vanjikkottai Valiban |
| 1959 | Paigham | Hindi | Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, B. Saroja Devil , Motilal and Johnny Walker | |
| 1960 | Irumputhirai | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi | Remake of Paigham |
| 1961 | Gharana | Hindi | Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Asha Parekh | |
| 1967 | Aurat | Hindi | Rajesh Khanna, Padmini, Feroz Khan, Pran, Kanhaiyalal, David, O P Ralhan, Nazima, Lalita Pawar and Leela Chitnis | |
| 1968 | Teen Bahuraniyan | Hindi | Prithviraj Kapoor, Agha, Kanchana, Sowcar Janaki, Jayanthi | |
| 1969 | Shatranj | Hindi | Rajendra Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Mehmood |
[edit] As Producer
| Year | Film | Language | Cast | Director | Notes |
| 1941 | Madanakamarajan | Tamil | V. V. Satakopan, K. L. V. Vasantha | B. N. Rao | Vasan's first film as producer, but not officially produced by Gemini. It was advertised as "Produced for Dindugal Amirtham Talkies At Gemini Studios". |
| 1943 | Mangamma Sapatham | Tamil | Ranjan, Vasundhara Devi, N. S. Krishnan | 'Acharya' T.D. Raghavacharyal | A colossal hit, Vasan's first, which made him one of the biggest names in Tamil cinema |
| 1945 | Kannamma En Kadhali | Tamil | M. K. Radha, Sundari Bai | Kothamangalam Subbu | Vasan's second film as producer. Coming at the height of the Second World War, this was in support of Britain's war effort. |
| 1947 | Miss Malini | Tamil | Sampath, Kothamangalam Subbu, V. Gopalakrishnan, Gemini Ganesan | Kothamangalam Subbu | Gemini Ganesan's first hit film |
| 1948 | Chandralekha | Tamil | Ranjan, T.R.Rajakumari, M.K.Radha, N.S.Krishnan, T.A.Maduram | S.S.Vasan | A milestone in Tamil cinema. The film was another colossal hit of Vasan's and was known for its colossal sets and the unforgettable drum-dance. |
| 1948 | Chandralekha | Hindi | Ranjan, T.R.Rajakumari, M.K.Radha | S.S.Vasan | Hindi version of Tamil film 'Chandralekha'. S.S.Vasan's first Bollywood production |
| 1949 | Apoorva Sahodarargal | Tamil | R.Nagendra Rao, M.K.Radha | 'Acharya' T.D. Raghavacharyal | |
| 1949 | Nishan | Hindi | Bhanumathi, J.S.Casshyap, Ranjan, R.Nagendra Rao, M.K.Radha | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1951 | Sansar | Hindi | David Abraham | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1951 | Samsaram | Tamil | |||
| 1952 | Mr.Sampath | Hindi | Motilal, Padmini, Kanhaiyalal, Swaraj, Vanaja and Agha | S.S.Vasan | Film version of R. K. Narayan's novel |
| 1953 | Avvaiyar | Tamil | Gemini Ganesan, K. B. Sundarambal | Kothamangalam Subbu | A classic. The story of Tamil saint Avvaiyar, the film was known for its wonderful songs. |
| 1954 | Bahut Din Huye | Hindi | Madhubala, Savitri Kommareddy | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1955 | Insaniyat | Hindi | Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Bina Rai, Jayant and Shobhana Samarth | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1958 | Vanjikkottai Valiban | Tamil | Gemini Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1958 | Raj Tilak | Hindi | Gemini Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, Pran, Padmini, Gajanan Jagirdar, Bipin Gupta, Lalita Pawar | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1959 | Paigham | Hindi | Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, B. Saroja Devi, Motilal and Johnny Walker | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1960 | Ghunghat | Hindi | Bharat Bhushan, Leela Chitnis, Pradeep Kumar, Bina Rai, Asha Parekh, Helen, Rajendranath, Rehman and Agha | Ramanand Sagar | |
| 1960 | Irumbuthirai | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi | ||
| 1961 | Gharana | Hindi | Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Asha Parekh | S.S. Vasan | |
| 1963 | Grahasti | Hindi | Bipin Gupta, Iftekhar, Gajanan Jagirdar, Kanhaiyalal, Shubha Khote, Manmohan Krishna, Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Sudesh Kumar, Bharati Malwankar, Mehmood, Indrani Mukherjee | Kishore Sahu | |
| 1967 | Aurat | Hindi | Rajesh Khanna, Feroz Khan, Pran, Padmini, Kanhaiyalal, David, O P Ralhan, Nazima, Lalita Pawar and Leela Chitnis | S.S.Balan & S.S.Vasan | |
| 1968 | Teen Bahuraniyan | Hindi | Prithviraj Kapoor,Agha, Kanchana, Sowcar Janaki, Jayanthi | S.S.Vasan | |
| 1969 | Shatranj | Hindi | Rajendra Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Mehmood | S.S.Vasan |
[edit] Sources
- Biography of S.S.Vasan
- Filmography of S.S.VAsan at the Internet Movie Database(IMDB)
- 'With a finger on people's pulse' Article on S.S.Vasan by Randor Guy, The Hindu, Friday Review, 23 May 2003
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Muthiah, S. (2004). "From the mall to the mount". Madras Rediscovered. East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd. pp. 84–87. ISBN 81-88661-24-4.
- ^ "Themes in Indian History". V.K. (India) Enterprises. http://books.google.com/books?id=5naGSo7scgwC&pg=PA261&lpg=PA261&dq=gemini+studios+racehorse&source=bl&ots=UgYTKJ-kzS&sig=ViOkJit9JPPHvrDPyWPRLvuBr4Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qMc4T7KPL5PZiQK8lpilCg&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=gemini%20studios%20racehorse&f=false.
- ^ K. Moti Gokulsing, K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. p. 132. ISBN 1858563291.
- ^ Shohini Chaudhuri (2005). Contemporary World Cinema: Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 149. ISBN 074861799X. http://books.google.com/?id=qOXoeyesZOIC&pg=PA149.
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