Poets and Pancakes (Asokamitran)

A large film

A large film-producing organisation in Chennai, founded in 1940 by S. S. Vasan. It had about six hundred staff members and worked mainly with indoor s

Pancake was the brand name

Pancake was the brand name of the make-up material bought in truck-loads by Gemini Studios. It was used to turn actors into suitably made-up screen fi

The make

The make-up room had incandescent lights, large mirrors, and a strict hierarchy. Different workers handled different categories of actors, and the off

A man in his early forties

A man in his early forties who had joined the studios hoping for stardom or a career as a writer, director, or lyricist. He was frustrated and blamed

The No

The No. 2 at Gemini Studios, officially listed under the Story Department. He was a poet, novelist, and actor in subsidiary roles, and he was widely u