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Chim and good tamil vocabulary can be hard to follow at time and can sound pretty boring when read, at firts time. But when Sivaji recties these, with his emotios and acting skills, he gives life to the scrpit line and make it interesting to watching.
Though even if Sivaji was not a good pupil academically, he is a very good tamil eacher to all of us.
Pity....he should have got an oscar. I hope someone nominates him if future, even if Sivaji doesn't live to see it.
I sent my condolences to his family , friends and his loved ones. It is of great misfourtune that I never had the chance to talk to him upclose. I thought of doing so the next trip to India, but then, I feel as if I have know him very long.
May his fame live on to future generation, whom should lear what kind of person he is.
Just reproducing an article
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indya.com Cinemaa brought to you by
The timeless thespian
There is a lump in your throat as you watch him lying in state, cocooned by a transparent coffin. He looks like he is taking a nap between shots. There is the same calm on his visage that he had before the director shouted "action"!
V C Ganesan, rechristened Sivaji Ganesan by his ideological idol, Periyar, was the best actor I have had the pleasure of watching on celluloid. That is thanks to his biggest fan, Kamal Hassan.
I discovered Sivaji because I had the temerity to suggest that Sivaji overdid everything. Kamal suggested that I watch Sivaji's earlier films and then talk to him. I reluctantly did. "How do you define overacting?" thundered Kamal. "If there is a death in the family, several people react in various ways."
So I bought a VCR and borrowed scratchy prints of Sivaji starrers from a library whose owner was a diehard fan himself. Being a Kamal admirer, I had preconceived notions. It took some time and films like Utthama Puthran, Deiva Magan and Shabash Meena, not to mention the innumerable mythological and historical costume dramas for me to agree with his understudy. I also realised how many nuances Kamal had imbibed from the great actor. "If any South Indian actor denies he has not been influenced by Sivaji he's a damn liar," Kamal had said.
Shivaji was the most well equipped actor of his generation. Not in the contemporary sense, which would mean bulging biceps, learning karate and dance. There was a commitment that was reflected in his performances. He had an inexhaustible repertoire. He could play a bumbling village idiot with as much aplomb as an aristocrat or a king in a historical. "There was something about his performances that reminded me of Russian ballet," says Kamal.
Kamal was confounded by another aspect. "Actors of my generation have Sivaji and Brando to look upto for inspiration but I wonder who inspired this man." When Kamal asked Sivaji this question, the thespian did not have an answer.
Sivaji is quoted as saying that had he been in Hindi cinema, he would have won the National award. That is a bitter actor speaking, incredulous at the fact that none of his innumerable performances have fetched him National recognition. The fact is that if he had migrated, he would not have got the meaty roles befitting his talent. The National Awards lost its sanctity the day it was awarded to MGR. Anyway, Sivaji was always a better actor than a politician.
It was in the seventies that Sivaji's performances started deteriorating. Fighting a losing battle with obesity but still insisting on playing college student, Sivaji resorted to donning weird wigs and wearing multi-hued costumes. The subtlety was disappearing, replaced by unnecessary facial contortions. It took a director of Bharathiraja's calibre to bring back the actor's natural abilities in Muthal Maryadhai.
The thespian's last great performance was in his disciple, Kamal's Thevar Magan. Kamal did not direct the film, but wrote one of the finest screenplays ever. If you have watched the film, you will notice that till the great actor dies on screen, Kamal stays in the shadows. The few scenes where the two greats interact are a treat and a lesson in timing. The thespian did get a special mention from the jury deciding the National awards for his performance, but it was more like adding insult to injury.
Sivaji was considered a faultless actor because he was never at a loss of expression. He could play an emotional scene with as much ease as a comic one. His sense of timing and elucidation of the spoken word was a treat and he never had to shove his hands into his pocket not knowing what to do with them.
My only tryst with the actor was when Kokila Mohan introduced us on the sets of Garuda Sowkyama, a remake of Godfather. I was surprised when he mentioned that he had read my interview with Kamal in Frontline. Just as we were getting to know each other, Baby Shalini (now actor Ajith's wife) jumped on his lap tried to tickle him, but never found his ribs. The great actor was flabbergasted when he asked Shalini why she didn't smile and the kid, with a poker face asked, "Do you want a natural smile or a filmi one?" Sivaji raised his eyebrows, looked at me and nodded as if to say, "You better watch out for her."
The actor is dead with his wish to play Periyar unfulfilled, but his outstanding performances will have to be shown to aspiring actors in film institutes. His name will be used as a synonym for acting in the thesaurus of world cinema.
--S Shiva Kumar
sshivu@indya.com
hi........with God love all.
sivaji sir is still our living legend.he is an universal shined star.his dedication n profesional appearance n perfomance in film industries will alway been remembered n appreciated.he is such a great artist n no one else can be filled in his shoes.
he is a revolutionary man towards film industries.MAY GOD LOVE N BLESS HIM N ALL.
LOVE PEACE N HARMONY.
joe,
wonderful article on shivaji the legend.
ever shivaji fan,
shakthi
unnai marakka mudiyavillai..
happen to watch some scenes from karnan..what an acting?
difinitly he is the one born to act .. he is like navarathnam crown to tamil cinema industry... he has got beautyful color and eyes.. real simma kuralon.. a modest person.. everybody felt like loosing one of the person in their family... basically a good person too..
Thalai Nimirntha Thamizhargal!
Kumudam giving tribute to our Nadigar Thilagam
http://www.kumudam.com/kumudam/17-05-04/pg25.php
tommorow July 21,is 'Ninaivu thinam' of Nadigar Thilagam.
Nenjam marappathillai!
Sivaji fan,