Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), best known as Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who mostly performed in Tamil films. His daughter Rekha is acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema.
For his romantic parts in films, he was dubbed the Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance). Ganesan was one of the “three biggest names in Tamil cinema,” together with M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. While Sivaji Ganesan was recognized for his dramatic roles and M. G. Ramachandran for his action roles, Gemini Ganesan was known for his romance roles. In addition to the Padma Shri, he got the Kalaimamani, the MGR Gold Medal, and the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 1971. He was one of the few college graduates who worked in the film industry at the time.
Gemini Ganesan’s (Ramasamy Ganesan) debut year in the film industry:
In the 1947 comedy, Ganesan made his film debut as a casting director. Miss Malini, based on the narrative of R.K. Narayan, has a minor role. The film, in which he played his future mistress Pushpavalli, was a box office disappointment due to being “ahead of its time,” but it was well received by intellectuals.
There is no known print of that film; hence, it is considered lost. Then came Chakradhari, in which he played the Hindu god Krishna in a minor role. The film fared well at the box office, but his performance went unnoticed. People didn’t notice him as an actor until 1953, when he played a bad guy in Thai Ullam.
The next year, he played a minor role in the failed Gemini Studios film Moondru Pillaigal. For the first time, he was cast as a hero in Manam Pola Mangalyam. The film, in which he played two roles, starred him with his future wife Savitri and marked a “milestone in his life.” From then on, he carved himself a position in Tamil cinema by making films that emphasized romance above action.
Gemini Ganesan’s (Ramasamy Ganesan) Early Life:
Gemini Ganesan made his debut in Miss Malini in 1947, but he didn’t get much attention until he played the villain in Thai Ullam in 1953. He achieved stardom after playing the lead in Manam Pola Mangalyam (1954). Gemini Ganesan, unlike Sivaji Ganesan or Ramachandran, was not a stage performer and was never involved in politics.
Ganesan appeared in nearly 200 films throughout his five-decade-long cinematic career. His film talents were aided by popular backing singers like A. M. Rajah and P. B. Sreenivas. Despite his successful cinematic career, Ganesan’s personal life, notably his marriages to several women over the years, including legendary Indian actress Savitri, has been much criticized. He has eight children, including actress Rekha.
Ramasamy Ganesan was born in a Devadasi family in 1920 as Ramasamy Ganesan to Ramasamy and the Devadasi Gangammal. Narayanaswami, Ganesan’s grandfather, was the principal of the Maharajah’s College at Pudukkottai. After his first wife died, Narayanaswami moved in with a Devadasi girl named Chandramma, who worked as a singer and dancer at a temple. Muthulakshmi and Ramaswamy, father of Gemini Ganesan, were two of Narayanaswami’s offspring with Chandramma.
Gemini Ganesan’s (Ramasamy Ganesan) Education Life:
Muthulakshmi, who was a devout Ramakrishna devotee, chose to enroll Ganesan at the Ramakrishna Mission Home. He was taught yoga and languages while there, and he was made to study the Bhagavad Gita. He couldn’t stand being away from his mother, who was in Pudukkottai, so he went to his hometown and enrolled in a high school there. Later, he enrolled at Maharajah’s College, which was also located in the same location. He did, however, graduate from Madras Christian College in Chennai.
Gemini Ganesan’s (Ramasamy Ganesan) early work:
Ganesan aspired to become a doctor. He traveled to Trichinopoly (now Tiruchirappalli) in April 1940 to visit T. R. Alamelu. Alamelu’s father offered marriage to his daughter and promised him a medical seat after graduation. Ganesan accepted right away and married Alamelu in June 1940. Alamelu’s father and elder sister died within a month after her marriage. Ganesan’s ambitions to become a doctor were dashed. He had no option but to find work right away because he was the sole provider for his family.
He was interviewed by the Indian Air Force. Ganesan proceeded to Delhi against Alamelu’s desires. There, he met his uncle Narayanaswami, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a teacher. Finally, Ganesan served as a lecturer in Madras Christian College’s Chemistry department. Later that year, in 1947, he got a job as a production executive at Gemini Studios, which is where the moniker “Gemini” originated from. He made his cinematic debut through the studio’s casting department.
Gemini Ganesan’s (Ramasamy Ganesan) Bollywood Debut:
Gemini Ganesan appeared in a small number of Hindi films, most of which were remakes of his Tamil features. Miss Mary (1957), a remake of Missiamma’s original, became one of the year’s biggest Indian blockbusters. He starred in Devta, the Hindi remake of his own Tamil film, Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam. He also appeared in Raj Tilak (1958), a Ruritanian epic film based on his own Vanjikottai Valiban. It was a box-office flop, failing within a week of its release. Later, he starred as a cameo in Nazrana (1961), a Hindi adaptation of his own Kalyana Parisu. Despite its middling box office performance, the picture was the 12th highest-grossing film of the year.
Private Life
Although some rumor claim that Gemini Ganesan had five wives, but he only had three. In June 1940, he married Alamelu, a family member. He married cinema actress Savithri after divorcing her. He then married Pushpavalli, another actress.
Death
Gemini Ganesan passed away on March 22, 2005, at the age of 84, in his home. He had renal failure and multiple organ failure, which were the primary reasons for his death. He leaves behind eight daughters and a son. Rekha, a well-known Bollywood actress, is one of his daughters.
Gemini Ganesan’s filmography:
- 1953: Manampola Mangalyam, Avvaiyyar
- 1955: Kanavane Kan Kanda Deivam, Missiamma
- 1956: Maathar Kula Manickam
- 1957: Yaar Paiyan, Manalane Mangaiyin Baakyam, Maya Bazar
- 1958: Vanjikottai Vaaliban
- 1959: Kalyana Parisu
- 1960: Kalathur Kannamma, Kairasi
- 1961: Thaen Nilavu, Pasamalar
- 1962: Konjum Salangai, Sumaithangi, Parthal Pasi Theerum
- 1963: Karpagam
- 1965: Vaazhkai Padagu
- 1968: Panamaa Paasamaa, Paava Mannippu
- 1969: Iru Kodugal, Poovaa Thalayaa
- 1971: Punnagai, Avalukkendru ore manam
- 1974: Naan Avanillai
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