Subramaniam Srinivasan
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| Subramaniam Srinivasan | |
| Born | March 10, 1903 Thiruthuraipoondi, Thanjavur District, Madras Presidency, British India |
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| Died | August 26, 1969 (aged 66) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
- In this Indian name, the name "Subramaniam" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "Srinivasan". The abbreviations "s/o" or "d/o", if used, mean "son of" or "daughter of" respectively.
Subramaniam Srinivasan popularly known as S.S.Vasan (b.10 March 1903-d.26 August 1969) was a famous Indian film producer, director, writer, journalist and entrepreneur. He has been hailed by many as the 'Cecil De Mille of Indian cinema'.
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[edit] Early life
S.S.Vasan was born at Thiruthuraipoondi in Thanjavur district in a poor Brahmin family. His father died when he was barely two years old and the young Vasan was left to fend for himself. At a very early age, he moved to Madras along with his mother to complete his studies. During this period, he was developed an avid interest in the field of media and mass communication. On completion of his studies, he started an advertising agency which did well. In 1928,with the revenue he had earned, he purchased a struggling Tamil journal called Ananda Vikatan and reformed and remodelled it to suit the public taste. The magazine was an immense success and Vasan's had become one of the most familiar names in Madras city.
[edit] As a film producer
S.S.Vasan was a prolific writer and penned a number of novels and short stories. This eventually drew him into the film industry. His novel Sathi Leelavati was made into a film in the year 1936 marking Vasan's entry into the film industry. From the onset, motion films captivated him and in 1938, he took over distribution of films of the Madras United Artists Corporation
In 1941 there was a fire in the studio of the Motion Picture Producers Combine. Like most studios in India it was uninsured because no insurance company would take the risk. The partners, by now at odds with each other, decided to sell the charred premises. Vasan bought them, did some rebuilding, and launched the production company Gemini Studios.
During the war the firm dabbled in a variety of films including a mythological, a stunt film and a love story or two - Films like Mangamma Sapatham (1943), Kannamma En Kadhali (1945), Miss Malini (1947) and Apoorva Sahodarargal (1949).
However Vasan was really preparing his big post-independence break. He entered the Hindi market with Chandralekha (1948) a spectacle. Its drum dance is remembered even today! 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.
Gemini Pictures declined in the 1970s although it has remained successful as a studio and equipment rental business.
[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 | |
| 1958 | Vanjikkottai Valiban | Tamil | Gemini Ganesan,Vyjayanthimala,Padmini | |
| 1958 | Raj Tilak | Hindi | Gemini Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, Pran, Padmini, Gajanan Jagirdar, Bipin Gupta,Lalita Pawar | |
| 1959 | Paigham | Hindi | Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, Motilal and Johnny Walker | |
| 1960 | Irumputhirai | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan,Vyjayanthimala | |
| 1961 | Gharana | Hindi | Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Asha Parekh | |
| 1967 | Aurat | Hindi | Rajesh Khanna, Feroz Khan, Pran, Padmini, Kanhaiyalal, David, O P Ralhan, Nazima, Lalita Pawar and Leela Chitnis | |
| 1968 | Teen Bahuraniyan | Hindi | Prithviraj Kapoor,Agha,Ramesh Dev, Rajendranath | |
| 1969 | Shatranj | Hindi | Rajendra Kumar,Waheeda Rehman,Mehmood |
[edit] As Producer
| Year | Film | Language | Cast | Director | Notes |
| 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, 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 | ||
| 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,Ramesh Dev, Rajendranath | 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, May 23, 2003
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