Sivaji Ganesan

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In this Indian name, the name "Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "Ganesan".

Padmabhushan Chevalier Dr. Sivaji Ganesan
Sivaji Ganesan in the film Thayaipola Pillai Noolaipola Selai
Born	Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan October 1, 1928(1928-10-01) Viluppuram, India
Died	July 21, 2001 (aged 72) Chennai, India
Other name(s)	Nadigar Thilagam
Years active	1952-1999
Spouse(s)	Kamala Ganesan
Official website

Sivaji Ganesan (Tamil: சிவாஜி கணேசன்) (October 1, 1928 – July 21, 2001) born Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Mandrayar Ganesan, was an internationally acclaimed Indian cinema star originally from Tamil cinema industry and one of the first method actors in Asia, during the second half of the 20th century. He was known for his scintillating performances, versatility and expressive prowess not just in Tamil cinema but in the whole of Indian moviedom. He was the first South Indian film actor to win a best actor award in an international film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo, Egypt in 1959. Sivaji's acting is still admired today, also being an influence to many other Indian film actors even after many decades, as has been admitted on many occasions by most of the leading South Indian film stars, including Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth.

Personal life

V.C.Ganesan (Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Mandrayar Ganesan) was born into a freedom fighter family in the South Indian town of Viluppuram in present Tamil Nadu hailing from the Royal Kallar community (surname - Mandraayer) on October 1, 1928 . His parents were P. Chinniah Mandraayer (freedom fighter) and Rajamani Ammal. His father was sent to prison by the British for his freedom related activity when Sivaji was born. And because of that his family has to suffer poverty during those times. He ran away from home not able to bear poverty in the family at a very young age and joined a drama troupe to start making a living. That's where the history was beginning to be rewritten. He is married to Kamala, a relative to him and they have four children's Ramkumar, Prabhu, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. Sivaji Ganesan was not only a great actor, but a great human being and commanded enormous respect across the cinema industry and nation even after his death. Presently Ramkumar looks after and manages Sivaji Films. Prabhu has become one of the leading heroes of Tamil Cinema. ^[1]

Acting career

Debut as a lead artist

He was given the name Sivaji when he acted as Chakaravati Shivaji Maharaj, in the play Sivaji Kanda Indu Rajyam, written by C.N.Annadurai and staged at a Dravidar Kazhagam Conference, presided over by E.V.R.Periyar. Periyar was so impressed by the play and the actor that he announced "henceforth our Ganesan should be called Sivaji Ganesan". He was 19 years old at that time.Ganesan's first film was the Tamil film Parasakthi in 1952, co-starring actress Pandari Bai. This film was produced by P.A.Perumal of National Pictures and financed and distributed by A.V.M.Studios. The dialogues for most of the film were written by the now-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi. Apart from his immense success and reception in Tamil cinema, he has also acted in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada-language films.

Donning versatile roles

Known for easily sliding into a character's skin, Ganesan was very open to experimentation when it came to the roles he played! His versatility and variety was unmatched playing critically acclaimed roles and commercial roles. His portrayal of a Hindu deity Lord Shiva is evergreen in the minds of Tamil cinema goers. The portryal of Lord shiva in the movie Thiruvilayaadal won him lot of accolades in and around the film industry. In the film Navarathiri (1964), Ganesan donned nine different roles that represented the nine emotional states of a person. Hindi actor, Sanjeev Kumar, was inspired by this film and reprised the nine roles in Naya Din Nayi Raat in 1974. Ganesan could strike a balance between commercial cinema,Mythological cinema and experimental cinema. Sivaji was always unique when compared to other actors in India during his generation. Expert analyst from cinema admitted that the three best versatile actors from India at that time were N. T. Rama Rao, Rajkumar and Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan. He made the characters come alive with his portrayals in Thiruvarutselvar, Thiruvilayaadal, Saraswathi Sabatham, Thirumal Perumai, Kappalottiya Tamizhan, Karnan, Veerapaandiya Kattabomman, Thillana Mohanaambal, Raja Rishi and Harichandran. His role in the film Veerapaandiya Kattabomman made him the first South Indian actor recognized outside India in the Afro-Asian film Festival at Egypt. He was also applauded for his acting in the film Aalyamani which was remade later by N. T. Rama Rao.

Appealing to the masses

The Sheer variety and brialliance of the man of Ganesan's roles gave him much acclaim and honour. He co-starred with his counterpart, M. G. Ramachandran in one film, which was Koondukkili. He has worked with many of the leading actresses of his time, including Savitri, Padmini, B. Sarojadevi, K. R. Vijaya and J. Jayalalitha. He also co-starred with other lead actors such as Gemini Ganesan, Muthuraman, M. R. Radha, and many more.

Parasakthi was a Silver Jubilee hit and the rest they say is history. He continued in leading roles or important character roles until the end of his career.

Being a friend of Annadurai and Karunanidhi, he was the main fund raiser for the newly formed DMK party in the early 50s. He parted ways with them when he felt he was being sidelined. From the late 50s to late 80s, he tried to uplift the Congress party in the state which had fallen in shambles. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1981 to 1986. Though he was an ardent supporter of K.Kamaraj and later Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he was also inspired by the life of Pasumpon U. Muthuramalingam Thevar. The renowned actor is no hypocrite and knows only to enact onscreen and not offscreen unlike modern day politicians. He retired from active politics in the early 90s. He once emphatically said that this kind of murky politics was definitely not for him with government being increasingly dominated with people with money and shawdowy background. Throughout his political career, he never ever even once asked the people to vote for him or to make him their leader. He had steadfastly campaigned for the Congress party in many crucial elections.

Nearing retirement

In the 1990s, as Ganesan was aging, he co-starred with several other actors. His notable films supporting roles were Veerapaandiyan, Jalli Kattu, Pudhiya Vaanam, Thevar Magan, Pasumpon and En Aasai Raasaave. His penultimate film before his death was Padayappa in 1999 which was also a blockbuster.

Apart from his numerous roles as a single star on screen, Ganesan has acted in supporting roles with many leading actors from different eras. Ganesan has co-starred with M. G. Ramachandran, Vishnuvardhan, M. N. Nambiar, Gemini Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Prabhu Ganesan, Sathyaraj, Vijayakanth, Mohanlal, Ramarajan, Y. G. Mahendran, Sivakumar, K. Bhagyaraj, Karthik Muthuraman, Arjun Sarja, Joseph Vijay and Abbas. He has also worked with a vast amount of directors and producers. His legacy continues to be remembered today and is looked upon by many leading film actors.

Death

Suffering from respiratory problems, Ganesan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on July 21, 2001. He also had been suffering from a prolonged heart ailment from 1985. He died at 7:45pm (IST) on July 21, 2001 at the age of 73. A documentary, Parasakthi Muthal Padayappa Varai was made to commemorate Sivaji Ganesan's legacy. His funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life.

Legacy

Ganesan with M. G. Ramachandran at the Annai Illam.

Statue

The first bronze statue for him was unveiled in Pondicherry by the then Chief Minister Rangasamy, who before becoming a legislator, had been the secretary of the local Sivaji Fan's Association. Another statue was unveiled in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to honour the actor on July 21, 2006 at the Marina Beach. It was unveiled by the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in the presence of the who's who of Tamil cinema industry. The third bronze statue was unveiled in Thanjavur by M.Natrajan and unveiled by S.S.R. The fourth statue was unveiled in Madurai on October 4, 2009 by DMK strongman and southern districts head M.K. Azhagiri. This statue is made by V.N.Chidambaram Chettiar. Many statues made of cement, bust and life size have been erected in various towns and villages all over Tamil Nadu.

Actors' Day

The former South Indian Film Artistes' Association president Vijayakanth declared that October 1, the birth day of Ganesan, would be observed as Actors' Day in the Tamil film industry.

Domestic popularity

Sivaji Ganesan has remained as the most popular Tamil actor with the most of number of fans. This fact has been confirmed by many independent surveys conducted.

The popular Tamil magazine Kumudam conducted a survey in 1990. Sivaji Ganesan was voted as the most popular actor with (35%) votes followed by M. G. Ramachandran (30%), Rajinikanth (20%) and Kamal Haasan (15%). Though the survey was conducted in 1990, when Sivaji Ganesan had almost retired from acting and Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan were rising stars in Tamil cinema.

Popularity in the US

During a visit to the U.S. in June 1995, Sivaji Ganesan visited Columbus, Ohio. Mayor Greg Lashutka named him honorary citizen of Columbus at a special dinner.

In 1962, Ganesan toured the U.S., where he was given the honour of being the mayor of Niagara City for one day. He along with the former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were the only two Indians to be honoured this way.

Awards and honours

Légion d'honneur

Sivaji Ganesan's most prestigious award was the 'Chevalier' in 1995, awarded by the National Order of the Legion of Honour in France. This is one of the main decorations of the French Republic which is conferred to honour the most original and talented personalities, for their remarkable contributions in the field of Arts and Literature in France and all over the world. On April 22, 1995, at a ceremony held at the MAC Stadium, Chennai, Sivaji Ganesan was presented the Chevalier title and medallion by the French Ambassador to India, Philip Petit. J. Jayalalitha, the entire Tamil film industry and representatives of all other Indian regional film industries were present at the ceremony.

Other awards

• Afro-Asian Film Festival Best Actor Award, 1959
• Padma Shri, 1966
• Padma Bhushan, 1984
• National Film Award - Special Jury Award for Thevar Magan, 1993
• Chevalier (Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France), 1995
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award, 1996
• Kalaimamani, 1997
• NTR National Award, 1998
• Honourary doctorate

Filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sivaji Ganesan

• Comprehensive information about movies, awards of Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan
• Sivaji Ganesan at the Internet Movie Database
• Sivaji Ganesan is the most popular Tamil film actor - Kumudam magazine survey-1990
• [1] Website hosted by Sivaji fan Ms. Girija]
• [2] Website hosted by Sivaji fan Pammal Swaminathan]
• Profile of Sivaji Ganesan from Nilacharal
• Sivaji Ganesan - One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century
• Tamil Film Actor Sivaji Ganesan Dead at Rediff.com]
• Ganesan filmography with pictures
• Cinesouth database since 1976
• A doyen among actors by D.B.S. Jeyaraj]
• Tribute to Sivaji Ganeshan