Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001)
was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ganesan is acknowledged as one of the greatest Indian actors of all time and among the most imitated one by other actors. He was known for his versatility and the variety of roles he depicted on screen, which gave him also the Tamil nickname ''Nadigar Thilagam'' (). In a career that spanned close to five decades, he had acted 288 films in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
,
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
. Sivaji Ganesan is the only
Tamil actor
This list outlines the names of popular lead film actors, who previously worked or are currently working in the Tamil film industry ("Kollywood"), based in Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996) ...
to have played the lead role in over 250 films.
Ganesan was the first Indian actor to win a "Best Actor" award in an International film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in 1960. Many leading South Indian actors have stated that their acting was influenced by Ganesan. In addition, he received four
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
and a
National Film Award (Special Jury). In 1997, Ganesan was conferred the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadca ...
, the highest honour for films in India.
He was also the first Indian actor to be made a ''Chevalier'' of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
.
Ganesan is remembered as an iconic figure of Tamil cinema. Upon his death, The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' described him as "the
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
of south India's film industry".
Early life
Ganesan was born on 1 October 1928,
as the fourth son of Chinnaiya Manrayar and Rajamani Ammal in Villupuram,
India. Early in his career, Ganesan acted under the name V. C. Ganesan. Media outlets said that the initial 'V' stood for Villupuram, though one of Ganesan's sons stated that it stands for Vettaithidal, a village from which their family originates.
Without his father's consent, Ganesan decided to join a touring stage drama company at the age of seven.
At the age of 10, he moved to
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
and joined a drama troupe in
Sangiliyandapuram and began to perform in stage plays. From the drama troupe trainers, he was fortunate enough to learn acting and dancing. He was trained in
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...
,
Kathak
Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...
and
Manipuri dance
, image =
, alt =
, caption = An illustration of the ''Manipuri Raas Leela'' dance, being depicted in a stamp from Armenia; transliterations of "Jagoi Raas" and "Manipuri Raas Leela", the terms in Meitei language (offi ...
forms.
Ganesan exhibited the ability to remember lengthy lines easily. The group favoured Ganesan to play the lead and he would continue to do so. His portrayal of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...
in the stage play ''Shivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam'' earned him the monicker "Sivaji",
which was conferred on him at a public function presided over by social reformer
Periyar
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the ' ...
. Since then, he was referred to by the name of "Sivaji".
Film career
Early career: 1952–1959
![Parasakthi cast](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Parasakthi_cast.jpg)
Ganesan made his acting debut in the 1952
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
film ''
Parasakthi'', which was directed by the
Krishnan–Panju
R. Krishnan (1909–1997) and S. Panju (1915–1984), collectively referred to as Krishnan–Panju, were Indian film directors. The duo directed more than 50 films in South Indian languages and in Hindi.
Early life
R. Krishnan was born on 18 ...
duo and co-starred actress
Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai (1930 – 29 January 2003) was an Indian actress who worked in South Indian cinema, mostly in Kannada cinema during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She is considered Kannada cinema's first successful heroine. She has acted as both heroi ...
.
The film became an instant commercial success, running for over 175 days in several theatres, and ran for over 50 days in all the 62 centres it was released, and at the Sri Lanka-based Mailan Theatre, it ran for nearly 40 weeks. Film distributor P. A. Perumal Mudaliar of
National Pictures, with the patronage of
A. V. Meiyappan of
AVM Productions
AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappan. It is the final oldest survived studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...
, bought the film rights of ''Parasakthi''. P.A. Perumal cast Ganesan after being impressed with his performance as
Nur Jahan
Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627.
Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Ghi ...
in the Sakthi Nadaga Sabha play of the same name. It was he who, in 1950, gave Ganesan a flight ticket to Madras for the screen test for ''Parasakthi''. Ganesan had simultaneously shot for the Telugu-Tamil bilingual film
''Paradesi / Poongothai'', which was supposed to be his actual film to release first, but released much later after Perumal requested its co-producer
Anjali Devi
Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in ''Lava Kusa'' as well as for the titular roles in movies like Chenchu ...
to let ''Parasakthi'' release first, and she agreed.
![Parasakthi AVM shooting spot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Parasakthi_AVM_shooting_spot.jpg)
''Parasakthi'' did not begin well for Ganesan. When shooting began and 2000 feet of the film was shot, Meiyappan was dissatisfied with Ganesan's "thin" physique, and wanted him replaced with
K. R. Ramasamy. Perumal refused, and Ganesan was retained. Meiyappan was also satisfied with the final results of the film. The initial scenes of Ganesan which he earlier disliked were reshot. Ganesan was paid a monthly salary of 250 (valued at about US$52.5 in 1952) for acting in the film.The script was written by later
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
,
M. Karunanidhi.
Since actors who are well-trained in classical dance can effectively showcase expressions called
Nava Rasa on their faces, Ganesan went on to become one of the popular actors in Tamil cinema in the 1950s. His unique voice had a greater appeal. His style of dialogue delivery with a long spell of dialogues — like a poetry recitation with much clarity — earned him critical recognition.
Two factors can be attributed the entry of Ganesan into films: The principal artists in Tamil films during the 1940s and 1950s were
Telugus
Telugu people ( te, తెలుగువారు, Teluguvāru), or Telugus, or Telugu vaaru, are the largest of the four major Dravidian ethnolinguistic groups in terms of population. Telugus are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh ...
, whose acting was not matched by their dialogue delivery in Tamil. (In fact, Sivaji Ganesan lent his voice to
Mukkamala Krishna Murthy, a Telugu actor, for a Tamil film ''Niraparathi''. The film was well received by the Tamil audience.) Secondly, the 1950s saw the growth of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu, under the leadership of
C. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (15 September 1909 – 3 February 1969), popularly known as Anna also known as Arignar Anna or Perarignar Anna (''Anna, the scholar'' or ''Elder Brother''), was an Indian Tamil politician who served as the fo ...
, and
M. Karunanidhi. Their transformation of language skills to films through script writing ensured their instant acceptance.
Ganesan's entry into films at this stage of popularity was easy and inevitable, and he could establish himself in a better position.
''
Andha Naal
''Andha Naal'' ( en, italic=yes, That Day, ) is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language mystery-thriller film, produced by A. V. Meiyappan and directed by S. Balachander. It is the first film noir in Tamil cinema, and the first Tamil film to be made wit ...
'' (1954) was a trendsetter in Tamil cinema because it had no songs
and Ganesan played an anti-hero. The film won the president's silver medal the following year. The same year, he co-starred with his competitor
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
in ''
Koondukkili
''Koondukkili'' () is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and co-produced by T. R. Ramanna. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan and B. S. Saroja. Although a commercial failure, it gained historical reputation over t ...
'', where he played the antagonist.
Donning versatile roles: 1954–1968
His role in the film ''
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a war against them. He was captured by the Briti ...
'' won him the Best Actor Award at the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in March 1960 at
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
.
Incidentally, Ganesan was also the first Indian actor to get an award for Best Actor abroad. Often considered to be a landmark film in Tamil cinema, ''
Pasamalar
''Pasamalar'' () is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Savitri Ganesan, with K. A. Thangavelu M. N. Nambiar and M. N. Rajam in supporting roles. It revolves ar ...
'' is arguably one of the best films of Sivaji Ganesan and Savitri together. Once again directed by A Bhimsingh, the film has a cult following and rightly so. When it released in 1961, it became a trendsetter of sorts and was a money spinner at the box-office. Post its release, several films based on a similar theme were made, for example, ''
Mullum Malarum
''Mullum Malarum'' (; ) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Mahendran. Produced by Venu Chettiar and V. Mohan, the film stars Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu, Jayalaxmi and Shoba. It marks Mahendran's directorial deb ...
''. It also won the National Award that year and was remade in several languages.
Uthama Puthiran is the first film to feature Ganesan in dual roles and the first Indian film to have the shots with zoom technique.
Sivaji Ganesan has acted in many Tamil movies co-starring with many popular and talented Tamil actresses of his time. He gave many commercial success films such as
''
Palum Pazhamum
''Palum Pazhamum'' (; ) is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 9 September 1961. The film was remade in Kannada as '' Beratha Jeeva'', and in Hindi a ...
'', ''
Irumbu Thirai'', ''
Padikkadha Medhai
''Padikkadha Medhai'' () is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and co-written by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, S. V. Ranga Rao, Kannamba and Sowcar Janaki. It is a remake of the 1953 Bengali film ''Jog Biyog'', its ...
'', ''
Paava Mannippu
''Paava Mannippu'' () is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and edited by A. Bhimsingh, who co-produced it under his banner Buddha Pictures, with AVM Productions. The film features an ensemble cast of Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganes ...
'', ''
Padithal Mattum Podhuma
''Padithal Mattum Podhuma'' () is a 1962 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by A. Bhimsingh. Based on the 1961 novel ''Naa'', by the Bengalis, Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, Tarashankar Band ...
'', ''
Aalayamani
''Aalayamani'' () is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Shankar and produced by P. S. Veerappa. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, S. S. Rajendran, B. Saroja Devi and C. R. Vijayakumari. It was released on 23 November 1962, and ...
'', ''
Iruvar Ullam'', ''
Annai Illam
''Annai Illam'' () is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and produced by M. R. Santhanam. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Devika. It was released on 15 November 1963, and ran for 100 days at all centres of Tamil ...
'',
''
Aandavan Kattalai'', ''
Kappalottiya Thamizhan
''Kappalottiya Thamizhan'' () is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Savitri. It is based on the 1944 book of the same name by M. P. Si ...
'', ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
'' (1965), ''
Kai Koduttha Dheivam'', ''
Puthiya Paravai
''Puthiya Paravai'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film directed by Dada Mirasi. Produced by Sivaji Ganesan, the film stars himself, B. Saroja Devi, M. R. Radha and Sowcar Janaki, with Nagesh, Manorama, V. K. Ramasamy ...
'' and his 100th film, ''
Navarathri
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...
'' whereby ganesan acted nine distinct roles in the film. It is arguably one of Sivaji Ganesan's best films in its tribute to the actor.
He had comedic roles in several movies, such as ''
Kalyanam Panniyum Brahmachari
''Kalyanam Panniyum Brahmachari'' () is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language comedy film, directed by P. Neelakantan and produced by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars T. R. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and Ragini. The film had musical score b ...
'' (1954), ''
Sabaash Meena
''Sabaash Meena'' () is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language comedy film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, B. Saroja Devi, Chandrababu and Malini, with Panthulu and S. V. Ranga Rao in supporting roles. It was releas ...
'' (1958), ''
Ooty Varai Uravu
''Ooty Varai Uravu'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, R. Muthuraman and L. Vijayalakshmi. It was Vijaylakshmi's last film before her m ...
'' (1967), and ''
Galatta Kalyanam
''Galatta Kalyanam'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by C. V. Rajendran and written by Gopu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. It is based on Gopu and Sridhar's play of the same name. The film, ...
'' (1968).
Puranic and historical roles: 1965–1969
His portrayal of
Lord Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
in the movie ''
Thiruvilayadal
''Thiruvilaiyadal'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language Hindu devotional film written, directed and co-produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Savitri, and K. B. Sundarambal, with T. S. Balaiah, R. Muthuraman, Nagesh, T. R. ...
'' (1965) won him many accolades.
Ganesan could strike a balance between commercial cinema, Mythological cinema and experimental cinema. His epical portrayals in films such as ''
Thiruvilayaadal'', ''
Thiruvarutselvar'', ''
Saraswati Sabatham'', ''
Thirumal Perumai
''Thirumal Perumai'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film, directed by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. It was released on 16 February 1968.
Plot
Thirumal Perumai tells three spell-binding st ...
'' and ''
Thillana Mohanambal
''Thillana Mohanambal'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language musical drama film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting r ...
'' won him critical acclaim.
He played a variety of roles such as freedom fighters, like
Tiruppur Kumaran,
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary*
* who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer
*
* in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...
and epic characters like
Karna
Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...
,
Bharatha
Bharatha People (, ) also known as Bharatakula and Paravar, is an ethnicity in the island of Sri Lanka. Earlier considered a caste of the Sri Lankan Tamils, they got classified as separate ethnic group in the 2001 census. They are descendant of ...
,
Narada
Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...
,
Appar
Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...
,
Nayanmars
The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; ta, நாயன்மார், translit=Nāyaṉmār, translit-std=ISO, lit=hounds of Siva, and later 'teachers of Shiva ) were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were de ...
and
Alwars
The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondn ...
.
Spanning genres like epics to Crime thrillers; from romantic escapades to comic flicks and action flicks, Ganesan has covered it all.
Superstardom – varied roles: 1970–1979
Ganesan played supporting role to
Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the 'Jubil ...
in the
Hindi film
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
''
Dharti'' in 1970, which was a remake of his 1969 Tamil film ''
Sivandha Mann
''Sivandha Mann'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film written, produced and directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Kanchana, with S. V. Ranga Rao, M. N. Nambiar, Muthuraman, Nagesh and Sachu in sup ...
'', in which he played the lead role. In the Hindi version, Ganesan played the role which
Muthuraman had played in the original. Several directors such as
Krishnan–Panju
R. Krishnan (1909–1997) and S. Panju (1915–1984), collectively referred to as Krishnan–Panju, were Indian film directors. The duo directed more than 50 films in South Indian languages and in Hindi.
Early life
R. Krishnan was born on 18 ...
,
T. R. Sundaram
Tiruchengodu Ramalingam Sundaram Mudaliar (16 July 1907 – 30 August 1963) was an Indian actor, director, and producer. He was the founder of the Salem-based film production company Modern Theatres.
Early life
Sundaram was born in 1907 fro ...
,
T. R. Ramanna,
A. P. Nagarajan,
L. V. Prasad
Akkineni Laxmi Vara Prasada Rao (17 January 1907 – 22 June 1994), known professionally as L. V. Prasad, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, and businessman. He was one of the pioneers of Indian cinema and is the recipient of the Dad ...
,
B. R. Panthulu
Budaguru Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu (26 July 1910 – 8 October 1974) was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for directing films in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. His most popular films are '' Karnan'', ''Veerapandiya ...
,
T. Prakash Rao
Tatineni Prakash Rao (24 November 1924 – 1 July 1992) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu, Hindi cinema, Hindi, and Tamil cinema, Tamil films. In a career spanning nearly four decades, he directed ov ...
,
D. Yoganand
Dasari Yoganand (16 April 1922 – 23 November 2006) was a South Indian film director.
Early life
Yoganand was born in Madras under British India. His parents were Venkata Das, estate manager under Nawaab Raza Ali Khan of Machilipatnam, and La ...
,
A. Bhim Singh,
K. Shankar
Kannan Shankar (17 March 1926 - 5 March 2006) was an Indian film editor, screenwriter and director. He directed more than 80 films in South Indian languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada as well as in Hindi.
Film career
Shanka ...
,
C. V. Sridhar
Chitthamoor Vijayaraghavalu Sridhar (22 July 1933 – 20 October 2008) was an Indian screenwriter and film director. He has directed nearly 60 films in Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi language, Hindi and Telugu language, Telugu Languages.
Ea ...
,
A. C. Tirulokchandar
A. C. Thirulokachandar (11 June 1930 – 15 June 2016), also known as A. C. Tirulokchandar, was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked mainly in Tamil films from the 1960s to 1988. He also directed a few films in Hindi and Telugu. ...
,
P. Madhavan,
K. S. Gopalakrishnan
K. S. Gopalakrishnan was an Indian screenwriter, director, producer, and lyricist, who worked in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi films. Since the early 1960s, he directed 70 films. He spent most of his career directing and producing movies with soc ...
,
Muktha V.Srinivasan,
C. V. Rajendran
C. V. Rajendran (12 March 1937 – 1 April 2018) was an Indian film director and producer who worked in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi film industries. He was a cousin of famous director C. V. Sridhar.
Film career
He worked ...
, and
K. Vijayan
K. Vijayan was an Indian film director. He predominantly worked in Tamil cinema. He mainly worked with Sivaji Ganesan. He directed many Malayalam films as well.
Career
K. Vijayan was an employee of the Golden Rock Railway Workshop in Tiruchi ...
directed Ganesan in different roles.
Jaggayya
Kongara Jaggayya (31 December 1928 – 5 March 2004) was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as ''Kanchu Kantham J ...
offered his voice to Sivaji when his movies were dubbed into Telugu.
In the 1960s and 1970s his films have been well received and he was able to deliver constant hits. Some of his famous hits during this period are ''
Vasantha Maligai
''Vasantha Maligai'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by K. S. Prakash Rao and produced by D. Ramanaidu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Vanisri, and is the Tamil remake of the 1971 Telugu film '' Prema Nagar''.
''V ...
'', ''
Gauravam'', ''
Thanga Pathakkam
''Thangappathakkam'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language action drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and written by Mahendran. Based on Mahendran's play of the same name, the film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, Srikanth and Prameela. It ...
'' and ''
Sathyam''. Many of his films inspired remakes in
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
. Films such as ''
Pilot Premnath
''Pilot Premnath'' is a 1978 Tamil-language film written and directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan as the eponymous character. It is based on R. Venkat's play ''Mezhugu Bommaigal'' (). The film, the first joint Indo-Sri ...
'' and ''
Mohana Punnagai
''Mohana Punnagai'' () is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Sridhar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Geetha, Jayabharathi, Padmapriya, Anuradha and Anandhi. It was released on 14 January 1981. The film was an average g ...
'' were shot in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, with Sri Lankan actors such as
Malini Fonseka
Wanniarachchige Malini Senehelatha Fonseka, popularly as Malini Fonseka ( Sinhala:මාලිනී ෆොන්සේකා) (born 30 April 1947, in Kelaniya) is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television as well as a director. ...
and
Geetha Kumarasinghe
Kumara Vidugalage Dona Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe (born 5 July 1955: si, ගීතා කුමාරසිංහ), popularly known as Geetha Kumarasinghe, is a Sri Lankan film actress and Member of a Parliament. She is the current State M ...
playing the female lead.
In 1979, he appeared in the biggest blockbuster of his career, ''
Thirisoolam
''Thirisoolam'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film directed by K. Vijayan. It has Sivaji Ganesan playing triple roles. It was promoted as Ganesan's 200th film in a leading role. It is a remake of the Kannada film '' Shankar Guru'' (1978). ...
'' his 200th film, an adaptation of the
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
film ''
Shankar Guru'' in which
Rajkumar had played the lead role.
Later career: 1980–1999
''
Muthal Mariyathai
''Muthal Mariyathai'' (; ) is a 1985 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha (actress), Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and ...
'' (1985) won him a ''Filmfare Award'' and ''Tamil Nadu State film Award'' under ''Best Actor'' category. The 1990s was a period in which Ganesan started enacting matured roles. In 1992, he acted with
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...
in the critically acclaimed ''
Thevar Magan
''Thevar Magan'' () is a 1992 Indian, Tamil-language drama film written by Kamal Haasan, who also produced the film, and directed by Bharathan. It stars Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami and Nassar; with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Rad ...
'', which won him a
Special Mention Award at the
40th National Film Awards
The 40th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1992. Ceremony took place in 199 ...
.
His other films released during this period are ''
Pasumpon
''Pasumpon'' is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja, starring Prabhu, Sivaji Ganesan, Sivakumar, Raadhika and Saranya Ponvannan. It was released on 14 April 1995.
Plot
For several years, Thangapandi is in feud w ...
'', ''
Once More'', ''
En Aasai Rasave'' and ''
Mannavaru Chinnavaru
''Mannavaru Chinnavaru'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by P. N. Ramachandra Rao. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Arjun and Soundarya, while Maheswari, Visu and K. R. Vijaya play supporting roles. This is the 100th film for ...
'', where he was cast in prominent roles. He acted with
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
in the movie ''
Oru Yathramozhi'' (1997). He worked in ''
Pooparika Varugirom
''Pooparika Varugirom'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language film directed by A. Venkatesh. The film stars Ajay and Malavika, whilst Sivaji Ganesan, Raghuvaran and M. N. Nambiar play supporting roles. The film opened in September 1999 to nega ...
'', which released as his last film before his death, however the last film he worked in before his death was ''
Padayappa
''Padayappa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya with Abbas, Lakshmi, Radha Ravi and Nassar playing supporting roles. The soun ...
'' (1999).
Mentor
Chinna Ponnusamy Padayatchi is the teacher of theatrical arts who trained Ganesan in his troupe. During an interview with V.S. Srinivasan, Ganesan said: "Theatre has taught me everything. My teacher (''Chinna Ponnuswamy Padayachi of Chidambaram'') taught me
Bharatnatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
,
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
, body movements & practically everything. Padayachi, was himself an outstanding stage actor and I learnt in an atmosphere that was reminiscent of an ashram school."
Philanthropic work
![Sivaji Ganesan Nehru](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Sivaji_Ganesan_Nehru.jpg)
Sivaji Ganesan has made many financial contributions during natural disasters and for the educational development. In 1960,
K. Kamaraj
Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...
introduced the
Midday Meal Scheme
The Midday Meal Scheme is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children nationwide. The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in government primary and upper primary sc ...
for which Sivaji Ganesan donated one lakh rupees. Sivaji Ganesan presented a 80 gram gold chain to
P. Kakkan, who was living in poverty, and also he donated the entire proceeds from the play 'Thanga Padhakkam' which is held at the Salem Nehru Auditorium.
He also donated a large amount of money during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...
. Sivaji ganesan bought the place where
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a war against them. He was captured by the Briti ...
was hanged in
Kayatharu
Kayathar / Kayatharu is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Etymology
Kayathar / Kayatharu means "bitter river", from ''Aaru'' (Tamil for river) and ''kayarpu/kasappu'' (Tamil for bitter). This name m ...
and placed a statue of
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a war against them. He was captured by the Briti ...
at his expense which is still remain a monument.
He has donated elephants to many temples like
Venkateswara Temple
Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...
,
Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
Brihadishvara Temple, called Rajarajesvaram () by its builder, and known locally as ''Thanjai Periya Kovil'' ("Thanjavur Big Temple") and ''Peruvudaiyar Kovil'', is a Shaivite Hindu temple built in a Chola architectural style located on t ...
.
Political career
![Kamarajar Sivaji](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Kamarajar_Sivaji.jpg)
Ganesan started his political career as an activist of the
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement founded by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, also called Thanthai Periyar. Its original goals were to eradicate the ills of the existing caste system including untouchability and on a grander scale to obtain a " ...
. Ganesan joined the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...
after it was founded by
C. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (15 September 1909 – 3 February 1969), popularly known as Anna also known as Arignar Anna or Perarignar Anna (''Anna, the scholar'' or ''Elder Brother''), was an Indian Tamil politician who served as the fo ...
in 1949.
Until 1956, Ganesan was a staunch supporter of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). In the 1950s, however, Sivaji Ganesan was criticized for going "against the stated values of rationalism" during a visit to Tirupathi. He left the DMK and joined the
Tamil National Party
Tamil National Party was a short-lived political party formed in 1962 in Tamil Nadu, India. The party finds its roots with the split in Dravidar Kazhagam after which Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was formed. E. V. K. Sampath, a founding member ...
, which was founded by former DMK members. The Indian National Congress eventually absorbed the party. He embraced Congress leader K. Kamaraj's leadership.
In 1962, Ganesan became a strong supporter of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
. Due to his popularity, he was requested to be part of the National Congress Tamil Nadu. His respect for
Kamaraj
Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...
made him support Congress. He was made the
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
Member of Parliament by then Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
. Indira Gandhi's death in 1984 also brought Ganesan's political career to an end.
![Sivaji Kalingar Sakthi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Sivaji_Kalingar_Sakthi_.jpg)
After the death of
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mini ...
(AIADMK) founder and
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
in 1987,
[
][ AIADMK broke into two, one headed by his wife ]V. N. Janaki Ramachandran
Vaikom Narayani Janaki (30 November 192319 May 1996), also known as Janaki Ramachandran, was an Indian politician, actress and activist who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for 23 days after the death of her husband M. G. Ramachandra ...
and other by another Tamil movie star J. Jayalalithaa.[
] Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body. It was established by the Constitution of India to conduct and regulate elections in the country. Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, di ...
refused to accept either of them as the original AIADMK.[ Tamil Nadu Congress decided to ally with Jayalalitha's fragment of AIADMK.][
] This move was opposed by Sivaji Ganesan and hence he left the party along with his supporters to form the new party Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani[ on 10 February 1988.][
] To popularise the party Ganesan produce a movie titled ''En Thamizh En Makkal'' (My Tamil language and my people). At the time the party was created it was considered to be pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
. The party opposed the presence of Indian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lankan ...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
stating that the force was trying to wipe out the LTTE and its leader V. Prabhakaran.[
] The party also urged the Government of India to hold talks with the LTTE without any pre- condition.[ In the 1989 elections, his party lost all of its seats in favor of ]V. N. Janaki Ramachandran
Vaikom Narayani Janaki (30 November 192319 May 1996), also known as Janaki Ramachandran, was an Indian politician, actress and activist who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for 23 days after the death of her husband M. G. Ramachandra ...
. Sivaji himself was defeated by DMK candidate Durai Chandrasekaran in the Tiruvayaru seat by a difference of 10,643 votes.
He later joined the Janata Dal
Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 ...
under VP Singh
Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), shortened to V. P. Singh, was an Indian politician who was the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He is India's only prime minister ...
and rose through the ranks to become the party's state president, but his political career came to an end in 1993.
Political parties
Family
Ganesan was the fourth son of his family. He had three brothers and one sister. Ganesan married Kamala on May 1, 1952 and had four children. His younger son Prabhu
''Prabhu'' means master or the Prince in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord Krishna/Vishnu as a title and form of address. It is also appended ...
is a notable Tamil actor. Ganesan established a film production company in the late 1950s, now called Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions was an Indian film production and distribution company based in Chennai. Established in 1958, it was involved mainly in Tamil and Hindi-language films until 2010.
History
Sivaji Productions company is owned by Prabhu and h ...
, which is now being looked after by his elder son Ramkumar
Ramkumar is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Kannada cinema. He made his acting debut in Peraala's 1990 action film '' Aavesha''. The same year, he played a brief role in Rajendra Singh Babu's war film '' Muthina Haara'' ...
. He has two daughters Shanthi and Thenmozhi. Two of his grandsons namely Vikram Prabhu
Vikram Prabhu is an Indian actor working in Tamil language films who made his debut in Prabhu Solomon's '' Kumki'' (2012). He also played the protagonist in ''Ivan Veramathiri'' (2013) and ''Vellaikaara Durai'' (2014). He is the son of actor Pr ...
and Dushyant Ramkumar have also appeared in films, with Ramkumar's son Dushyanth Ramkumar having the stage name of Junior Sivaji. Moreover, Prabhu's son Vikram Prabhu debuted in the critically acclaimed film '' Kumki'' in 2012.
Death
Suffering from respiratory problems, Ganesan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multinational healthcare group headquartered in Chennai. Along with the eponymous hospital chain, the company also operates pharmacies, primary care and diagnostic centres, telehealth clinics, ...
in Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
on 1 July 2001. He also had been suffering from a prolonged heart ailment for about 10 years. He died at 7:45 pm (IST) on 21 July 2001 at the age of 72 just three months prior to his 73rd birthday for which he had special plans. A documentary ''Parasakthi Muthal Padayappa Varai'' was made to commemorate Sivaji Ganesan's legacy. He was given a State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
. His funeral the next day was telecast live on Sun TV (India), Sun TV and was attended by thousands of viewers, politicians and personalities from the South Indian film fraternity. Ramkumar, performed his last rites at the Besant Nagar Crematorium, Chennai.
International recognition
When President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
visited India, Sivaji Ganesan was the only individual granted permission by the then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to host a party for Nasser. Nasser was given a number of valuable mementos depicting the civilisation and culture of South India.[Padmabushan Chevalier Dr.'Sivaji' V.C. Ganesan](_blank)
, sivajiprabhu.com Sivaji Ganesan was the first artist from India to visit the United States, in the cultural exchange programme of the US government, in 1962, invited by the then-US President John F. Kennedy, where he took the role of India's cultural ambassador. During his visit there, he was honoured by being made the honorary mayor of Niagara Falls, New York for one day and was presented the Freedom of the City, golden key to the city. The only other Indian who has had this honour before Ganesan was Jawaharlal Nehru. When Sivaji returned from America, there was a huge crowd to receive him at the Madras Airport and M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
was there. When Sivaji returned from Egypt after winning the best actor award, there was a huge crowd to receive him at the Madras Airport. On 22 March 1976, he went over to Mauritius on an invitation from Prime Minister Ramagoolam and took part in their independence day celebrations and stayed as their government guest for four days.
During his visit to the United States in June 1995, he visited Columbus, Ohio. Participating in the dinner hosted to honour Ganesan, the Mayor of the city, Greg Lashutka honoured him by announcing him as an honorary citizen of Columbus. On the same occasion, the Mayor of Mount Vernon read out and gave him a special welcome citation. The Columbus Tamil Sangam was formulated on that day and Ganesan was made the honorary President of that association.
Although Sivaji appeared less in leading roles after the 1980s, his supporting roles were received positively, as in ''Thevar Magan
''Thevar Magan'' () is a 1992 Indian, Tamil-language drama film written by Kamal Haasan, who also produced the film, and directed by Bharathan. It stars Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami and Nassar; with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Rad ...
'', which won him the National Awards Jury's Special Jury award in 1993. Sivaji, incidentally, declined the award.
Acclaim
Sivaji Ganesan is considered one of the best Indian actors of all time. He was also acknowledged as a consummate actor and one of the most imitated ones. He was praised for his body language and his resounding voice and dialogue delivery. Ganesan is known for his versatility and has acted as a blind man in ''Palum Pazhamum
''Palum Pazhamum'' (; ) is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 9 September 1961. The film was remade in Kannada as '' Beratha Jeeva'', and in Hindi a ...
'', a physically handicapped person in ''Bhaaga Pirivinai'', enacting Nine numbers of totally different personas from various social strata and the corresponding body language (gait, voice, facial expression, etc.) in " Navarathiri", thereby becoming probably the first-time in Indian cinema history as an actor reprising Nine roles in a single film and in extension, inspiring subsequent films (at least) in Tamil like "Navarathinam" (the great MGR – starred), "Dasavatharam" (featuring Sivaji's torch-bearer Kamal Haasan), a man with a scared face as in ''Deiva Magan (1969 film), Deiva Magan'', a murderer in ''Pudhiya Paravai'', or a traitor as in ''Andha Naal
''Andha Naal'' ( en, italic=yes, That Day, ) is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language mystery-thriller film, produced by A. V. Meiyappan and directed by S. Balachander. It is the first film noir in Tamil cinema, and the first Tamil film to be made wit ...
'', the first movie that had no songs at all.
On 1 October 2021, Google commemorated Ganesan's 93rd birth anniversary with a Google Doodle on their Indian homepage.
Filmography
Sivaji Ganesan's most critically and commercially successful films include:
*''Parasakthi (film), Parasakthi'' (1952) Ganesan's first film
*''Thirumbi Paar (1953 film), Thirumbi Paar'' (1953)
*''Antha Naal'' (1954)
*''Manohara (film), Manohara'' (1954)
*''Thookku Thookki'' (1954)
*''Kalvanin Kadhali (1955 film), Kalvanin Kadhali'' (1955)
*''Naan Petra Selvam'' (1956)
*''Tenali Raman (film), Tenali Raman'' (1956)
*''Amara Deepam (1956 film), Amara Deepam'' (1956)
*''Makkalai Petra Magarasi'' (1957)
*''Vanangamudi'' (1957)
*''Ambikapathy (1957 film), Ambikapathy'' (1957)
*'' Uthama Puthiran'' (1958)
*''Sabaash Meena
''Sabaash Meena'' () is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language comedy film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, B. Saroja Devi, Chandrababu and Malini, with Panthulu and S. V. Ranga Rao in supporting roles. It was releas ...
'' (1958)
*''Thanga Padhumai'' (1959)
*''Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a war against them. He was captured by the Briti ...
'' (1959)
*''Bhaaga Pirivinai'' (1959)
*'' Irumbu Thirai'' (1960)
*''Deivapiravi (1960 film), Deivapiravi'' (1960)
*''Padikkadha Medhai
''Padikkadha Medhai'' () is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and co-written by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, S. V. Ranga Rao, Kannamba and Sowcar Janaki. It is a remake of the 1953 Bengali film ''Jog Biyog'', its ...
'' (1960)
*''Paava Mannippu
''Paava Mannippu'' () is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and edited by A. Bhimsingh, who co-produced it under his banner Buddha Pictures, with AVM Productions. The film features an ensemble cast of Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganes ...
'' (1961)
*''Pasamalar
''Pasamalar'' () is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Savitri Ganesan, with K. A. Thangavelu M. N. Nambiar and M. N. Rajam in supporting roles. It revolves ar ...
'' (1961)
*''Palum Pazhamum
''Palum Pazhamum'' (; ) is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 9 September 1961. The film was remade in Kannada as '' Beratha Jeeva'', and in Hindi a ...
'' (1961)
*''Bale Pandiya (1962 film), Bale Pandiya'' (1962)
*'' Iruvar Ullam'' (1963)
*''Paar Magaley Paar'' (1963)
*''Annai Illam
''Annai Illam'' () is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and produced by M. R. Santhanam. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Devika. It was released on 15 November 1963, and ran for 100 days at all centres of Tamil ...
'' (1963)
*''Karnan (1964 film), Karnan'' (1964)
*'' Aandavan Kattalai'' (1964)
*''Puthiya Paravai
''Puthiya Paravai'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film directed by Dada Mirasi. Produced by Sivaji Ganesan, the film stars himself, B. Saroja Devi, M. R. Radha and Sowcar Janaki, with Nagesh, Manorama, V. K. Ramasamy ...
'' (1964)
*''Navarathri
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...
'' (1964) 100th Movie
*''Thiruvilaiyadal'' (1965)
*'' Saraswati Sabatham'' (1966)
*''Kandhan Karunai'' (1967)
*''Thiruvarutchelvar'' (1967)
*''Iru Malargal'' (1967)
*''Ooty Varai Uravu
''Ooty Varai Uravu'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, R. Muthuraman and L. Vijayalakshmi. It was Vijaylakshmi's last film before her m ...
'' (1967)
*''Thillana Mohanambal
''Thillana Mohanambal'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language musical drama film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting r ...
'' (1968)
*''Galatta Kalyanam
''Galatta Kalyanam'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by C. V. Rajendran and written by Gopu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. It is based on Gopu and Sridhar's play of the same name. The film, ...
'' (1968)
*''Uyarndha Manithan'' (1968) 125th Movie
*''Deiva Magan'' (1969)
*''Sivantha Mann'' (1969)
*''Vietnam Veedu'' (1970)
*''Raman Ethanai Ramanadi'' (1970)
*''Engirundho Vandhaal'' (1970)
*''Sorgam'' (1970)
*''Savaale Samali'' (1971) 150th Movie
*''Babu (1971 film), Babu'' (1971)
*''Raja'' (1972)
*''Gnana Oli'' (1972)
*''Pattikada Pattanama'' (1972)
*''Vasantha Maligai
''Vasantha Maligai'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by K. S. Prakash Rao and produced by D. Ramanaidu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Vanisri, and is the Tamil remake of the 1971 Telugu film '' Prema Nagar''.
''V ...
'' (1972)
*''Bharatha Vilas'' (1973)
*''Rajaraja Cholan, Raja Raja Cholan'' (1973)
*''Gauravam (1973 film), Gowravam'' (1973)
*''Rajapart Rangadurai'' (1973)
*''Thanga Pathakkam
''Thangappathakkam'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language action drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and written by Mahendran. Based on Mahendran's play of the same name, the film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, Srikanth and Prameela. It ...
'' (1974)
*''Avandhan Manidhan, Avanthan Manithan'' (1975) 175th Movie
*''Uthaman (1976 film), Uthaman'' (1976)
*''Annan Oru Koyil'' (1977)
*''Dheepam'' (1977)
*''Andaman Kadhali'' (1978)
*''Thyagam'' (1978)
*''Ennai Pol Oruvan'' (1978)
*''Thirisoolam
''Thirisoolam'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film directed by K. Vijayan. It has Sivaji Ganesan playing triple roles. It was promoted as Ganesan's 200th film in a leading role. It is a remake of the Kannada film '' Shankar Guru'' (1978). ...
'' (1979) 200th Movie
*''Rishi Moolam'' (1980)
*''Ratha Paasam (1980 film), Ratha Paasam'' (1980)
*''kalthoon'' (1981)
*''Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum'' (1981)
*''Sangili (1982 film), Sangili'' (1982)
*''Theerpu'' (1982)
*''Thunai'' (1982)
*''Miruthanga Chakravarthi'' (1983)
*''Neethibathi'' (1983)
*''Vellai Roja'' (1983)
*''Sandhippu'' (1983)
*''Vaazhkai (1984 film), Vaazhkai'' (1984)
*''Muthal Mariyathai
''Muthal Mariyathai'' (; ) is a 1985 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha (actress), Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and ...
'' (1985)
*''Raja Rishi'' (1985)
*''Padikkadavan (1985 film), Padikkadavan'' (1985)
*''Saadhanai'' (1986)
*''Jallikattu (1987 film), Jallikattu'' (1987)
*''Thevar Magan
''Thevar Magan'' () is a 1992 Indian, Tamil-language drama film written by Kamal Haasan, who also produced the film, and directed by Bharathan. It stars Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami and Nassar; with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Rad ...
'' (1992)
*''Pasumpon
''Pasumpon'' is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja, starring Prabhu, Sivaji Ganesan, Sivakumar, Raadhika and Saranya Ponvannan. It was released on 14 April 1995.
Plot
For several years, Thangapandi is in feud w ...
'' (1995)
*'' Once More'' (1997)
*'' En Aasai Rasave'' (1998)
*''Padayappa
''Padayappa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya with Abbas, Lakshmi, Radha Ravi and Nassar playing supporting roles. The soun ...
'' (1999)
Awards and honours
Civilian honours: national and international
International awards
National Film Awards
Filmfare Awards South
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Other honours
Posthumous honours
Puducherry (union territory), Pondicherry (Puducherry) was the first state to erect a statue of Sivaji Ganesan in honour of his acting skills and his huge fan base in the state and it was unveiled by the then Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy, N. Rangasamy. A statue of Ganesan was erected on Kamarajar Road in Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, Tamil Nadu to honour the actor and was unveiled by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in 2006.
Memorial
In 2017, a Sivaji Ganesan Memorial, memorial built at a cost of 28 million was opened in Chennai. Located in Adyar, Chennai, Adyar, a southern neighbourhood of the city, it is built in the Architecture of Tamil Nadu, Tamil style of architecture, adorned with domes, and houses a statue of the actor, which was previously erected on the Marina Beach in 2006.
Bibliography
*
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganesan, Sivaji
1928 births
2001 deaths
20th-century Indian male actors
20th-century Indian politicians
Actors in Tamil theatre
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians
Film producers from Tamil Nadu
Filmfare Awards South winners
Indian actor-politicians
Indian male film actors
Indian male stage actors
Indian National Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu
Janata Dal politicians
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha
People from Thanjavur district
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Special Jury Award (feature film) National Film Award winners
Tamil male actors
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners