he Story Department
The story
department under
the poetic yet
practical
Kothamangalam
Subbu was an
unusual assembly –a
melting pot of poets,
writers and one
peculiar lawyer.
THE LAWYER
The lawyer, the most curious of the bunch,
was known not for his legal mind but for his
contradictions. Clad in a Western suit and
tie, in a sea of khadi-clad comrades, he
neither dressed nor acted the part. Instead
of offering legal advice, he once committed
a startlingly inappropriate act — he secretly
filmed an actress in a moment of fury,
without her consent. The actress, young and
unworldly, watched the footage with
dumbstruck horror, stunned into silence. It
was a moment that exposed the disturbing
misuse of power and the vulnerable rawness
of innocence in a place where stories were
made — and people, often broken.
The MRA group
When the MRA troupe came to
Gemini Studios, their songs
and talks about “cleansing the
mind” felt very new in the
busy make-up room. Actors
and staff were curious but also
a bit confused by these
foreign ideas mixing with the
smell of pancake foundation.
-
They staged two Local drama groups
The troupe held plays, Jotham Valley copied their style of
meetings in a small sunrise and sunset
and The Forgotten scenes—using a bare
bungalow, where Factor, which drew white curtain and a soft
everyone tried to large crowds with flute tune—to bring
follow hymns in Tamil their clear storytelling simple mood shifts on
and Telugu. and neat visuals. stage.
Kothamangalam The office boy-poet watched
The office boy-poet watched
Subbu joined in the from the corner, unsure if this
- Translation mistakes from the corner, unsure if this was true art or just another
singing
was true artbut kept
or just another
made some slogans show.
glancing at camera
show.
- The Story Department
funny and hard to - The Story Department briefly
setups
added andscene
an MRA actors
into a briefly added an MRA scene
understand. into a script, then dropped it
with smudged when
script, then dropped it
when prayer meetings ran
prayer meetings ran late.
makeup. late.
After a few days, the MRA team left
and the studio went back to its usual
rush of shoots and rivalries, as if the
spiritual visit had been just a
brief interlude.
Visit of an English man
- The Englishman was invited to speak at Gemini Studios, a
place primarily focused on Tamil films and staffed by
people who had little exposure to English literature.
- His arrival followed a previous visit by the Moral Re-
Armament (MRA) group, which had left a strong
impression on the studio.
- The Englishman delivered a long speech on topics like
freedom and democracy, but his accent and complex
language made it difficult for the audience to understand.
- Most of the staff were baffled and disengaged, unsure of
who he was or why he was there.
- People speculated that he might be a poet or an editor,
but no one could confirm his identity.
- The visit was marked by a lack of communication and
cultural disconnect, making it feel awkward and out of 5
place.
The twist
The author, while
researching for a short-story
contest, browsed back
issues of the magazine
Encounter at the British
Council Library in Madras
and saw Stephen Spender’s
name as editor—instantly
connecting him to the
mysterious Englishman at
Gemini Studios. He then
confirmed the identity by
reading Spender’s essay in
6
The God That Failed.
Ideologies of the gemini studio:
1. Nationalistic Sentiment
- The studio had a strong sense of Indian identity and was skeptical of
foreign influences.
- Western ideologies, especially communism and capitalism, were viewed
with suspicion.
2. Anti-Communist Undertones
- The visit of the Moral Re-Armament (MRA) group, which promoted anti-
communist values, was warmly received.
- The staff, though not politically active, were influenced by the anti-
communist sentiment of the time.
3. Cultural Conservatism
- The studio valued traditional Indian art and storytelling.
- There was a disconnect between the intellectual elite (like the Englishman)
and the studio workers, who preferred practical and relatable content.
4. Creative Freedom with Boundaries
- While the studio housed poets and writers, their creativity was often
limited by the commercial demands of filmmaking.
- Ideological expression was subtle and often masked by humor or satire. 7
8
Themes
1. Life In The Film Industry
2. Creative Struggles
3. Hierarchy And Status
4. Loyalty And Influence
5. Unrecognized Talent
6. Success VS Failure
7. Cultural And Social Dynamics
8. Literature Meets Cinema
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