Gemini Ganesan

Gemini Ganesan (born November 17, 1920, Pudukkottai princely state, British India [now Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, India]—died March 22, 2005, Chennai, Tamil Nadu) was an Indian actor and one of the stalwarts of Tamil cinema who acted in a variety of roles but was especially noted as a romantic lead, which earned him the title of Kadhal Mannan (“King of Romance”) among fans. With his contemporaries Sivaji Ganesan and M.G. Ramachandran (popularly known as MGR), Ganesan was one of the three best-known actors of 20th-century Tamil cinema. His screen career spanned five decades and included some 200 films, mostly in Tamil but a few in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. He was the father of popular Bollywood actress Rekha.

Early life and career

Ganesan received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and worked for a while as a teacher at his alma mater, the Madras Christian College, Tambaram, before taking a job as a casting assistant at Gemini Studios. It was this association that gave him the nickname Gemini. Ganesan’s first foray into the world of films was as an assistant to the director (and briefly as an actor) in the movie Miss Malini (1947). Initially unnoticed, Ganesan was recognized after his performance as a villain in Thai Ullam (1952; “Mother’s Heart”).

Acting career

The year 1953 was a turning point in Ganesan’s life, as his film Manampola Mangalyam (“An Ideal Marriage”) was a huge hit. His portrayal of two near-identical characters in the comedy earned him plaudits. In the lighthearted Missiamma (1955; “Madam”) he played a charming hero. He was cast alongside N.T. Rama Rao in the fantasy epic Mayabazar (1957; “Market of Illusions”), regarded as one of the greatest films of Indian cinema. He continued to portray diverse roles in hits such as Kalyana Parisu (1959; “The Wedding Gift”), Parthiban Kanavu (1960; “Parthiban’s Dream”), Then Nilavu (1961; “Honeymoon”), Karpagam (1963), and Shanti Nilayam (1969; “Abode of Peace”). In 1969 he was cast as the Hindu god Shiva in the award-winning Malayalam epic Kumara Sambhavam (“The Birth of Kumara”), based on the 5th-century-ce epic poem Kumarasambhava by Kalidasa.

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Perhaps his best performance was in Naan Avanillai (1974; “I Am Not He”), his own production, in which, as a seducer of women, he played many roles. This film eventually became a commercial success and won him high critical acclaim as well as the Filmfare Award for best Tamil actor. His last significant screen appearance was in Avvai Shanmugi (1996), a Tamil remake of the American film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993).

Death and legacy

Ganesan died at age 84 on March 22, 2005, in Chennai, of age-related illness. He was accorded a state funeral, attended by fans, film stars, and politicians, including actor Kamal Haasan, chief minister of Tamil Nadu and former actress Jayaram Jayalalithaa, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK; Dravidian Progressive Federation) president Muthuvel Karunanidhi.

Among Ganesan’s many awards are the Kalaimamani Award (given by Tamil Nadu state to those in the arts), an MGR Gold Medal, and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by the film magazine Filmfare). He was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor, in 1970.