Gemini Ganesan

At 84 years old, Gemini Ganesan physical status not available right now. We will update Gemini Ganesan's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

From the casting department, Ganesan made his film debut in 1947 with the satire Miss Malini, in a minor role. The film, which was based on a story by R. K. Narayan, and cast him alongside his future wife Pushpavalli, was a box office failure as it was considered "ahead of its time", but was well-received by intellectuals. No print of that film is known to survive, making it a lost film. This was followed by Chakradhari, in which he played another minor role as the Hindu god Krishna. The film was a box office success, but his performance went unnoticed. It was not until 1953 when he played a negative role in Thai Ullam, did people take notice of him as an actor. The next year, he appeared in a supporting role in the Gemini Studios film Moondru Pillaigal, which was unsuccessful. He was then cast as a hero for the first time with Manam Pola Mangalyam. The film, which featured him in a dual role, paired him with his future wife Savitri, and became a "milestone in his life". From then on, he carved out a niche for himself in Tamil cinema with films that favored romance over action.

In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Ganesan played a variety of roles, from Abhimanyu in Mayabazar (1957), to resistance fighter Madasamy in Kappalottiya Thamizhan (1961), and Pennin Perumai (1960), he played a "non-assertive imbecile morphing into a well-molded human being". Ganesan also starred in Kalathur Kannamma (1959), which was also the debut for Kamal Haasan, who would later become one of the leading actors in Tamil cinema. The film won the Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film in 1961. Ganesan also starred in Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959), alongside Sivaji Ganesan. The film was selected for the Afro-Asian Film Festival in 1960. It was also nominated for the National Film Award in 1960, along with Gemini Ganesan's Kalyana Parisu, but both lost to Bhaaga Pirivinai. The Ruritanian romance film Vanjikottai Valiban (1958) was a high-budget film and became a large commercial success due to much hype. The historical fiction film Parthiban Kanavu (1960) won the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film, but failed commercially.

Ganesan's 1961 film Then Nilavu, was the first Tamil film to be shot extensively in Jammu and Kashmir, and became a major box-office success. He co-starred with rival actor M. G. Ramachandran in Mugarasi (1966), which was their only film together. Konjum Salangai (1962), which featured Ganesan alongside Savithri was released in various countries outside India, having subtitles in over 22 languages, and it was also the first Tamil film to be released in Poland, in a dubbed version. Ganesan produced Naan Avan Illai (1974), in which he played a womaniser. Directed by K. Balachander, this film won critical praise for Ganesan's performance, but according to Ganesan, the film did not succeed commercially. His other known works include Missiamma, School Master, Kanavane Kankanda Deivam, Meenda Sorgam, Shanti Nilayam, Vaazhkai Padagu, Karpagam, Ramu, Thamarai Nenjam and Punnagai. Ganesan had paired with several leading actresses like Anjali Devi, Pushpavalli, Padmini, Vyjayanthimala, Savitri, Devika, Vijayakumari, Saroja Devi, Rajasree, Kanchana, Jayanthi, K. R. Vijaya, Bharathi and Jayalalithaa.

Gemini Ganesan acted in a few Hindi films, most of which were remakes of his Tamil films. His first Hindi film was Missiamma's remake Miss Mary (1957), which became one of the biggest Indian hits of that year. He played the lead role in Devta, the Hindi version of his own Tamil film Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam. He also acted in the Ruritanian epic film Raj Tilak (1958), based on his own Vanjikottai Valiban. It was a box office failure, having collapsed within a week of its release. He later appeared in a guest role in Nazrana (1961), the Hindi remake of his own Kalyana Parisu. Though the film was an average grosser, it was the 12th highest-grossing film of the year.

Later in his career, Ganesan switched to character roles, most notably the Telugu film Rudraveena (1988), its Tamil remake Unnal Mudiyum Thambi (1988), and Avvai Shanmughi (1996), in which he played the role of an old man longing for an old maid. Near the end of his acting career, he chose to act mainly in television serials, most notably Krishnadasi. Ganesan also appeared in Mettukudi (1996), Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga (1997), Thodarum (1998), and his last major role came the same year with Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar, followed by special appearances in Gemini (2002) and Adi Thadi (2004).

Unlike Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran, Gemini Ganesan was not originally a theatre actor, thus making his acting "refreshingly credible". Though he interacted cordially with fans, he avoided promoting fan clubs. Ganesan abstained from politics to the point of refusing a Rajya Sabha MP offer by Rajiv Gandhi. The only time he even barely approached politics was in 1963 when he organized a function for Subramania Bharati at Ettayapuram. Apart from acting, Ganesan was also a businessman and invested heavily in real estate and property development. He was skilled in various sports such as tennis, golf, and badminton, and captained his college's cricket team. Ganesan also directed the film Idhaya Malar (1976).

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