The 92nd birth anniversary of actor Gemini Ganesan was celebrated here on Saturday. Dr Kamala Selvaraj, daughter of Gemini Ganesan, and his wife T R Alamelu, organised the function. Gemini Ganesan, one of the finest actors of Tamil cinema, started his career as a professor at the Madras Christian College and then joined ‘Gemini Studios’ as casting incharge.
It was then he earned the prefix ‘Gemini’. After acting in a small role in his debut film Miss Malini, he went on to act in numero uno films such as Missiamma, Kalyana Parisu, Kalathur Kannamma, Karpagam, Thaen Nilavu, Punnagai, Paasa Malar, Vanjikkottai Vaaliban among others.
“He was a very good actor with no inhibitions. No one can tell that a film was delayed due to Gemini Ganesan,” remembers Muktha V Srinivasan, a popular film producer, who produced four films with Gemini Ganesan, including Pani Thirai. “Even though he was a good actor alongside M G R and Sivaji, he was called Saambaar by movie-goers.” he added.
Due to his romantic roles in many films, he was nicknamed ‘Kaadhal Mannan’. Actor Sivakumar released a book on T R Alamelu in Tamil titled Pennin Perumai, and ‘The Pride of Womanhood’ in English, written by Dr Kamala Selvaraj and Jayashree Viswanath. A CD on Alamelu was also released.
“I fondly called him Gemini mama. Earlier, I used to draw portraits of many actors and send it to them. But none responded. Only Gemini Ganesan replied with an appreciation letter,” Sivakumar recalled.
The book depicts the life history of Alamelu, who was fondly called ‘Bobji’. “Every actor should read this book to know the reality of life,” Sivakumar added.
In her address, Kamala Selvaraj said, “I wrote this book after a lot of research. I even visited the places where my mother was born and brought up. This book will be an eye-opener to the present generation who get into relationships and quickly get separated after issues crop up between them.”
Producer A V M Saravanan, playback singer P B Srinivas and actress Sachu were also present at the occasion. A V M Saravanan, in his speech said, “We must release a postage stamp on Gemini Ganesan in memory of his contribution to Tamil cinema.”