 | |
| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion pictures |
| Founded | 1940 (1940) |
| Founder | S. S. Vasan |
| Defunct | 1994; 31 years ago (1994) |
| Headquarters | , India |
Area served | Tamil Nadu Kerala Bollywood Andhra Pradesh |
| Website | http://geminiindia.in |
Gemini Studios was an Indianfilm studio based inMadras,Tamil Nadu. It was launched whenS. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership ofAnanda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam and renamed it.[1] The studio re-opened under the name Gemini. Despite the common beliefs about a lucky racehorse or the astrological sign of his wife, it was the logo Vasan chose that led to the name. Subrahmanyam had shown him a picture of his very young boys, blowing on toy trumpets in the nude. Vasan chose the pose to craft the logo and hence the name Gemini—The Twins.[2] The new facade also had statues of ‘The Gemini Twins’, blowing the bugle. Gemini Studios served as a breeding ground for innumerable artists and technicians for the south Indian Film Industry. TheGemini twins became a household symbol and the Gemini flyover was named after the original studio at that junction. Gemini Studios is one of the few producers in Tamil cinema to survive beyond 100 productions along with AVM, Modern Theatres, Thenandal Films, etc.
S.S.Vasan bought from his friend K. Subramanyam a Film distribution businessMotion Picture Producers' Combines studio on Mount Road for Rs.86,427-11-9,the odd figure arrived at through including the interest on unpaid wages of the employees and it was renamed as Gemini Studios in the year 1940.[3]G. Kamble, a painter from Kolhapur worked at the studios in his early life.[4]
| Year | Film | Language | Director | Music | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Madanakamarajan | Tamil | B. N. Rao | S. Rajeswara Rao &M. D. Parthasarathy | with the arrival ofK. Ramnoth, a cameraman and scenarist, andA. K. Sekhar, art director brought many changes in production. |
| 1941 | Jeevana Mukthi | Telugu | T. V. Neelakantan | S. Rajeswara Rao | is their first film in Telugu language remake ofBhaktha Chetha (1940) ofK. Subramanyam.[5] |
| 1941 | Nandanar | Tamil | Murugadasa | S. Rajeswara Rao &M. D. Parthasarathy | starringM. M. Dandapani Desikar andSerukalathur Sama |
| 1942 | Mangamma Sapatham | Tamil | Acharya | S. Rajeswara Rao &M. D. Parthasarathy | |
| 1944 | Kannamma En Kadhali | Tamil | Kothamangalam Subbu | M. D. Parthasarathy | |
| 1943 | Dasi Aparanji | Tamil | B. N. Rao | S. Rajeswara Rao &M. D. Parthasarathy | |
| 1946 | Miss Malini | Tamil | Kothamangalam Subbu | S. Rajeswara Rao & P. S. Anandaraman | |
| 1947 | Kalpana | Hindi | Uday Shankar | Vishnudas Shirali | This wasUday Shankar's dance spectacular, shot at the studio, that set the trend for future choreographers. |
| 1947 | Chandralekha | Tamil | S. S. Vasan | S. Rajeswara Rao &M. D. Parthasarathy | a magnificent movie byS. S. Vasan that was a first for a Tamil to achieve All India distribution and brought excellent returns. |
| 1947 | Chandralekha | Hindi | S. S. Vasan | S. Rajeswara Rao &M. D. Parthasarathy | a magnificent movie byS. S. Vasan that was a first for a Tamil to achieve All India distribution and brought excellent returns. |
| 1948 | Apoorva Sahodarargal | Tamil | Acharya | S. Rajeswara Rao,M. D. Parthasarathy & R. Vaidyanathan | A `costume adventure` film in three languages – Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and a major success. |
| 1948 | Nishanl | Hindi | Acharya | S. Rajeswara Rao,M. D. Parthasarathy & R. Vaidyanathan | A `costume adventure` film in three languages – Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and a major success. |
| 1948 | Apoorva Sahodarulu | Telugu | Acharya | S. Rajeswara Rao,M. D. Parthasarathy & R. Vaidyanathan | A `costume adventure` film in three languages – Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and a major success. |
| 1951 | Moondru Pillaigal | Tamil | R. Nagendra Rao | M. D. Parthasarathy & P. S. Anandaraman | |
| 1951 | Mugguru Kodukulu | Telugu | R. Nagendra Rao | M. D. Parthasarathy & P. S. Anandaraman | |
| 1952 | Avvaiyyar | Tamil | Kothamangalam Subbu | M. D. Parthasarathy, P. S. Anandaraman & Mayavaram Venu | A Tamil film that proved a major box-office hit. |
| 1953 | Rajee En Kanmani | Tamil | K. J. Mahadevan | S. Hanumantha Rao | |
| 1953 | Rajee Naa Pranam | Telugu | K. J. Mahadevan | S. Hanumantha Rao | |
| 1954 | Insaniyat | Hindi | S. S. Vasan | C. Ramchandra | film starringDilip Kumar andDev Anand. |
| 1957 | Vanjikottai Valiban | Tamil | S. S. Vasan | C. Ramchandra | starring Gemini Ganesan,Vyjayanthimala andPadmini. |
| 1957 | Raj Tilak | Hindi | S. S. Vasan | C. Ramchandra | starring Gemini Ganesan,Vyjayanthimala andPadmini. |
| 1958 | Paigham | Hindi | S. S. Vasan | C. Ramchandra | A Hindi film starringDilip Kumar,Vyjayanthimala and Raaj Kumar. |
| 1963 | Zindagi | Hindi | Ramanand Sagar | Shankar- Jaikishan | A Hindi film starringRajendra Kumar,Vyjayanthimala and Raaj Kumar. |
| 1965 4 | Vaazhkai Padagu | Tamil | C. Srinivasan | Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy | A Tamil film starringGemini Ganesan,Devika |
| 1965 | Motor Sundaram Pillai | Tamil | S. S. Balan | M. S. Viswanathan | This was Sivaji Ganesan's sole film for Gemini Studios. After S. S. Vasan's death, his son S. S. Balasubramanyam took the reins. |
| 1967 | Oli Vilakku | Tamil | Tapi Chanakya | M. S. Viswanathan | MGR Film with S. S. Vasan |
| 1968 | Manushulu Marali | Telugu | V. Madhusudhana Rao | K. V. Mahadevan | starringShoban Babu |
| 1969 | Samaj Ko Badal Dalo | Hindi | V. Madhusudhana Rao | Ravi | starringParikshit Sahni,Sharada,Prem Chopra andPran. |
| 1970 | Irulum Oliyum | Tamil | Puttanna Kanagal | K. V. Mahadevan | starringA. V. M. Rajan,Vanisri |
| 1976 | Ellorum Nallavare | Tamil | S. S. Balan | V. Kumar | This was a flop and the studio's fortunes declined in the 70s and it was taken over by Anand Cine Services later. |
After the studio was abandoned for two decades, the headquarters was demolished and replaced by a luxury hotel calledThe Park in 2002.[6][7]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
