Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan Part 12

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orutharu video paatta pottu thalraaru.innorutharu innorutharoda ayvaa pottu thalraaru. thread 10 naalila mudinjidum polrikku.

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http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/2586

Sivaji Ganesan: A doyen among actors in Tamil cinema


By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Hello Friends

Sivaji Ganesan who passed away on July 21st 2001 is widely regarded as the greatest thespian of post-independence Tamil cinema. This doyen among Tamil actors was one of my favourites.

Like many of my generation I memorized the dialogue from “Veera Pandiya Kattabomman” during my childhood and repeated them with appropriate mannerisms to entertain family, relatives ,classmates and friends.

Sivaji spoke Tamil on screen the way it should be spoken.It is no exaggeration to say that he was the role model for many in pronouncing Tamil dialogue in dramas.

I also had an opportunity of meeting him in person at Hotel Ranmuthu in Kollupitiya when he came down to Sri Lanka in 1978 for the shooting of
“Pilot Premnath”

When Sivaji passed away in 2001 I penned an article about him for the Indian newsmagazine “Frontline”dated August 4th-17th 2001(Vol 19 NO 16)

I am reproducing that article without any changes on my blog as tribute to his memory on the tenth anniversary of his death

Here it is friends - DBSJ

Jayalalithaa and Sivaji Ganeshan in Engirundho Vandhaal
SIVAJI GANESAN:A DOYEN AMONG ACTORS IN TAMIL CINEMA

BY D.B.S.JEYARAJ

SIVAJI GANESAN, 72, one of the brightest stars on the Tamil film firmament for nearly five decades, passed away at a Chennai hospital on July 21. With more than 300 film roles to his credit, he inspired a whole generation of artists, virtually creating a new school of acting.

His acting career, which began at the age of eight, could be divided into three phases – 1936 to 1952, when he acted only on stage; 1952 to 1974, when he acted for the big screen and also gave stage performances; and 1974 to 1999, when he acted only in films. (His last film was Pooparikka Varigirom.)

Villupuram Chinniah Ganesan, or V.C. Ganesan, was born on October 1, 1928, in Villupuram, which was then in Tamil Nadu’s South Arcot district, to Chinnaiapillai, a railway employee and freedom fighter, and Rajamani, in whose name he was to launch later a successful film company, Rajamani Pictures.

Smitten by a street drama about Kattabomman, the feudal Polagar of Panchalan-kurichi who defied the British, young Ganesan became enamoured of acting and abandoned school when he was in Class Two. Forsaking home, he joined the Madurai-based Bala Gana Sabha drama troupe first, and later the troupe run by Ethaartham Ponnusamipillai. From child roles he graduated to female roles and then on to the “raja part”, the role of the hero, as it was known then. The first landmark in his career was his portrayal of the Maratha warrior Sivaji in the drama ”Sivaji Kanda Samrajyam” written by Dravida Munnetra Kazha-gam leader C.N. Annadurai, who went on to become the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. E.V. Ramaswamy, the patriarch of the Dravidian movement, acclaimed his stellar performance and referred to Ganesan as ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan. This was in 1946. The sobriquet stuck.

The big break in Sivaji’s career came in 1952, when he acted as the hero in Parasakthi, a film directed by Krishnan-Panju. The dialogue, written by DMK leader and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in fiery and flowery prose with a surfeit of alliterations, the hallmark of Karunanidhi’s style, came powerfully alive in a stunning performance by Sivaji, unparalleled in Tamil cinema. The monologue uttered as an address to Tamil Nadu in the earlier scenes and the courthouse speech in the closing stages of the film were classic instances of delightful oratory. A star had arrived in Tamil cinema.

The Karunanidhi-Sivaji combination made an explosive impact. The writer’s rich prose, brimming with vitality, was given emotive and impressive expression by the actor. Every film in which they collaborated was a success. Notable among them were Thirumbi Paar, Manohara, Kuravanji and Iruvar Ullam.

Sivaji had an extraordinary flair for dialogue delivery. He pioneered an exquisite style, diction, tone and tenor. (Later other scriptwriters, such as Solaimalai, Sakthi Krishnaswamy, Aroor Das, and ‘Vietnam Veedu’ Sundaram, were to provide dialogue that tapped his diction, which rendered the Tamil language euphonious.)

A generation of actors and aspirants modelled themselves on his style. Despite this mass attempt to imitate and emulate him there was no replicating or duplicating the veteran. This stylish, dramatic presentation was essentially considered to be a feature suitable for the stage rather than the screen. A device used frequently in his earlier films to give an outlet to his histrionic talents was the inclusion of short historical dramas – on the Chera King Senkuttuvan, Akbar’s son Salim or Jahangir, Socrates, Emperor Asoka among others – within the main plot, often dealing with a social theme.

His acting ability received maximum exposure in the bantering arguments Veerapandiya Kattabomman has with his British adversaries in the eponymous film. Sivaji received the best actor award for this role at the Afro-Asian film festival held in Cairo in 1960.

Sivaji’s talents were by no means restricted to his oratorical prowess and powerful dialogue delivery. He could emote all the nine moods (navarasas) realistically. This skill found scope in all his films and came out into full play in his 100th film Navarathri in 1964, in which he played nine different characters signifying wonder, fear, compassion, anger, gentleness, revulsion, romantic passion, courage and happiness.

His other commendable multi-role performances were in Uthama Puthiran in a dual role, and Deiva Magan and Bale Pandiya in which he did three roles each.

Sivaji Ganesan played a wide range of characters, from god and king to commoner. Whether it was the mercurial Chola emperor Raja Raja Cholan, Lord Siva, Lord Muruga, Saivite saint Appar, Vaishnavite saint Periyaalvar or Tamil poet Ambigapathy, Sivaji was always at his scintillating best. He was equally splendid in contemporary roles and stereotypes making every performance a memorable one.

Superb among them are his roles as Bharatha in Sampoorna Ramayanam, the patriotic lawyer Chidambaram Pillai in Kappalottiya Thamizhan, the nagaswaram player Sikkal Shanmugasundaram in Thillana Mohanambal, Prestige Padma-nadha Aiyer in Vietnam Veedu, Barrister Rajanikanth in Gauravam and Police Superintendent Chaudhury in Thangapadhakkam.

Despite achieving stupendous success on the screen, Sivaji remained faithful to his first love, the stage, and acted in plays for decades. Scenes from some of his films remain etched in memory: the ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini’ song sequence in Uttama Puthiran, where Sivaji’s mannerisms would remind present day movie-goers of Rajnikanth’s style; the physically challenged Ponniah in Bhagapirivinai, the inimitable gait as the fisherman in Thiruvilayadal and the clash with Tamil scholar Nakkeeran in the same film; his duel over artistic superiority with Padmini in Thillana Mohanambal; particularly during the ‘Nalanthaana?’ song sequence; and the Othello drama sequence in English with Savithri as Desdemona in Iratha Thilakam.

Portrait of Sivaji Ganesan by the Filmfare magazine on August 24, 1962
Sivaji had an astounding capacity to synchronise lip and body movements to playback renditions making it appear as if he was actually rendering these songs. Singers Chidambaram Jeyaraman, Tiruchi Loganathan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan and A.M. Raja in the earlier days and T.M. Soundararajan later gave voice to his songs, making the singing and speaking voices blend as an indivisible entity.

Several directors, among them Krishnan-Panju, T.R. Sundaram, L.V. Prasad, B.R. Panthulu, T. Prakash Rao, A. Bhim Singh, K. Shankar, A.P. Nagarajan, A.C. Tirulokchandar, Sridhar, P. Madh-avan, K.S. Gopalakrishnan and K. Vijayan, directed Sivaji in vastly different roles, bringing out his versatility.

It was Sivaji’s tragedy that as the years progressed, opportunities for him to display his acting talent became scarce. But he did act in cameo roles, often stealing the scenes, as in Thevar Magan, which won him the National Awards Jury’s Special Jury award in 1993. (Sivaji, incidentally, declined the award.)

Ironically, the man hailed as a great thespian never won a national award for best actor. He was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke lifetime achievement award for meritorious service to Indian cinema in 1997.

THE film journal Pesum Padam gave him the honorific ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ (doyen of actors). Sivaji was honoured with the titles Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan and the Tamil Nadu government conferred on him the Kalaimamani award. The French government honoured him with Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Literature.

Sivaji served as a member of the Rajya Sabha. But despite his vast popularity as a film actor he was not successful in politics. Starting out as a Dravida Kazhagam and later DMK activist, he crossed over to the Congress in the late 1950s. When the Congress split in 1969 he stayed with the ‘old’ Congress of Kamaraj. After Kamaraj’s death he joined the Congress led by Indira Gandhi. In 1989, he formed his own Tamizhaga Munnetra Munnani and struck out alone only to suffer a humiliating defeat in the elections.

Later he functioned as leader of the Tamil Nadu Janata Dal for a while, but soon ceased to be active in politics.

Essentially a creature of the stage when he entered films, Sivaji Ganesan brought that baggage with him and superimposed it effectively on the film medium. Yet his brilliant acting made this so-called violation of screen norms the accepted norm of film acting. Generations of Tamils learnt to appreciate the beauty and power of the Tamil language because Sivaji Ganesan breathed new life into it.

Sivaji was no stranger to Sri Lanka. His movies ran to packed houses in the island. Several of his films were adapted and remade in Sinhala. Substantial portions of Pilot Premnath and Mohanapunnagai were shot in Sri Lankan locales with Sri Lankan artists Malini Fonseka and Geetha Kumarasinghe in the lead female roles.

DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com

[SejkoRau]

http://www.sivaji.org/


ONE HUNDRED TAMILS OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Sivaji Ganesan - Nadigar Thilakam

1 October 1927 - 21 July 2001

A Lesson in Gratitude from the Movie Maestro Sivaji Ganesan by Sachi Sri Kantha



It is always enchanting and heart-warming to read and listen to real life events, which are educational at any time to individuals of all age ranges.

In this spirit, towards the end of the year, I provide the following two anecdotes from the life of Tamil movie legend, Sivaji Ganesan (1928-2001). In these two anecdotes, Sivaji Ganesan had taught to many, what is gratitude and why it deserves recognition and popularisation.

The first anecdote was from a memoir book about the Tamil movie world which I read recently, It was authored by distinguished Tamil movie script writer Aroordhas, who had known personally and professionally Sivaji Ganesan for decades.

The second anecdote was oral history I heard in Colombo three decades ago from one of my music mentors,violinist Vannai G.Shanmuganantham.

Both anecdotes have a few inter-linking threads. The oral story I heard around 1975 neatly gelled with the written story which I read recently.

Sivaji Ganesan and his tutor K.D.Santhanam [written story]

Sivaji with Aroordhas

Renowned script writer and director Aroordhas (born 1931) has a five decade track record in Tamil movie history. His stage name Aroordhas is a clipped version of his full village cum personal name of Tiruvaroor Aarokiyadhas. His memoir book, Naan Muham Paartha Cinema Kannadigal [The Cinema Mirrors I have Looked At; Kalaignan Publishers, Chennai, 2002, 224 pages] carries a delightful collection of anecdotes on the personalities who moved the movie world of South India. I was rather touched by a reminiscence provided by Aroordhas on Sivaji Ganesan in section 18 of the book (pages 109-113). I provide my English translation of this entire section below.

“The Madurai Mangala Bala Gaana Sabha was a drama troupe managed by Ethaartham Ponnusami Pillai of Thiruvathavoor, Madurai. This troupe stationed themselves in Tiruchi and conducted dramas at the Thevar Hall.

From Sangili Aanda Puram, a boy aged 6 or 7 had joined this drama troupe with his friend, a neighbor’s son. In this drama troupe, there was a Tamil tutor (Vaathiaar) who taught drama and Tamil to the young charges. He was short in stature and was extremely strict. With or without sense, this tutor punished his young charges by cane beating, even for smallest errors. Because of this, the young boys had their bowel leaks, when they saw or even dreamt about this extreme disciplinarian cum tutor. In their dreams, he appeared like a charging lion.

But that Tamil tutor had a great gift. He could compose beautiful, rhyming Tamil songs based on poetic grammar. One day, at the stage, that boy from Sangili Aanda Puram was acting in the role of a young widow. And by carelessness on that day, he was wearing a blouse. This had been noticed by that disciplinatrian tutor.

In that era, wearing blouse by widows was rather inappropriate according to societal norms. At the end of the scene, that Tamil tutor harshly gave a cane beating to that young boy; ‘Can’t you be so careless and unrealistic in your profession?’ was the complaint against that young boy.

Guess who was that young charge, who received such a beating? Maestro Sivaji Ganesan. Who was that cane-loving tutor? My most respectful and admired elder and great poet, K.D.Santhanam (S).

43 years ago, during the shooting of the movie ‘Pasa Malar’, I met elder K.D.S. at the old Neptune Studio and paid my respects. In that movie, when Sivaji Ganesan (the hero) becomes rich, he is met by a character named ‘Rajaratnam’. KD.Santhanam played that character.

That young charge V.C.Ganesan never forgot about, in his illustrious career, from whom he received the cane-beating and from whose beating he learnt the alphabets of acting and Tamil diction. It was he, after establishing his fame in the movie world, who recommended his harsh disciplinarian tutor for that particular character in his great movie.

During the shooting days, Sivaji would be seated outdoors near the shooting floor with crossed legs and be in conversation with me, while having a cigarette in his lips. Then, elder K.D.Santhanam would occasionally pass us from the make-up room towards the shooting floor. At the instant when Sivaji sees his old tutor, he would dutifully stand up in respect, and hide the cigarette behind his back. Though noticing that homage silently, the old tutor K.D.S. pretend ignoring us and with bowed head pass us quietly.

It would touch my heart, when watching that simple, elegant and meaningful respect Sivaji paid for his old tutor. What a class! What a grateful protégé! I mention this anecdote because the younger generation should be informed of this humility and gratitude shown by maestro Sivaji.

Once, after K.D.S. had passed us and went beyond the listening distance, Sivaji sat back and told me: ‘Aarooran! On this Santhanam tutor (Santhana Vaathi) who passed us. The amount of beating I got from him isn’t a few. During dance training (when a step is missed for a beat), during dialogue training (when a word is missed), he beat us severely! Oh Mother – He’d chase and chase us and beat us! Even when he went to the toilet, he carried his cane. Now he is passing us like a young girl with head turned towards the floor. Even when I thought about him in those days, I’d shiver.’

I asked him jokingly: ‘Then, why did you recommend him for this role?’

[Sivaji said] ‘You don’t know. Because of those beatings I received from his hand, I’m now sitting comfortably like this as Sivaji Ganesan. When I joined the drama troupe, I was a zero. From him only, I learnt how to speak dialogue and how to act. Do you know, what a classy Tamil poet he is? What a poetic touch he carried in his hands? The songs he wrote for the Ambikapathi [1957] movie I acted: Ah! What sweet Tamil, and what lilting rhythm! I tolerated all those beatings because of his blessed Tamil knowledge. Otherwise, I’d have quit the troupe and ran back to my home during any one of those nights.’

Later, when elder K.D.S. was alone at the shooting floor, I approached him and politely mused;

“Elder Sir, I’ve heard that you gave severe beating to Sivaji Annan in his young days.’

[K.D.S.] ‘Oh! He has told you about that. Oh! That was in those days. Now I’m becoming senile. I cannot remember your script now. Not only that, when Thambi Ganesan stand in front of me, shouldn’t I look at his face and deliver my dialogue? When I look at him now, I’m getting nervous! Because of that, can you prepare me for my dialogue by repeating your script not once but four times? It may be a bother. Kindly oblige.’

How Time did change? The same great tutor who taught dialogue to Sivaji Ganesan in his young days, with disciplinary cane at his hand, now he feels nervous to stand in front of his illustrious protégé, and ask me to prepare him well for a scene in which he faces his protégé.”

When I read these pages from Aroordhas’s book, I was touched by three inter-twined elements;

(1) a thankful protégé’s devotion to an extremely strict, but sincere, mentor,

(2) repayment of intellectual debt by an esteemed protégé, and

(3) the mentor’s heart-felt pride on the grade made by his protégé.

What Sivaji Ganesan said of the touching poetic feel of his mentor K.D.Santhanam was no exaggeration. The 16 lines of that one sweet melody in the Ambikapathi [a historical love yarn set in the 12th century Chola Kingdom, along the lines of the more popular Romeo-Juliet story] movie, beginning with the lines ‘Kannile Iruppathenna Kanni Ila Maane’ and sung by P.Bhanumathi as well as T.M.Soundararajan were from the fertile mind of K.D.Santhanam.

Sivaji Ganesan and his boyhood pal E.Subbiah Pillai [oral story]

Around the time [in 1961 or 1962] when his signature movie Pasa Malar was released, Sivaji Ganesan visited Colombo. I heard the following story from my mentor Vannai G.Shanmuganantham, around 1975, who was an eye-witness.

E.Subbiah Pillai

At a cultural function held at the Saraswathie Hall, Bambalapitiya, Sivaji Ganesan was the guest of honor. With his roving eye, he had a glance at the orchestra performing at the side of the stage. During intermission, he rushed to the orchestra team and stood in front of the clarinetist E.Subbiah Pillai, who was calm and composed. With stretched hands, Sivaji greeted him, “Neenga Subbiah Annan ille” [Aren’t you Subbiah elder?]. The clarinetist softly responded in the affirmative. Then, Sivaji immediately hugged his long-lost boyhood pal, and was overcome with emotion. The words fumbled from his mouth.

“Anne! Suhama irukeengala? Eppavo, Ceylonukku oodi poonatha sonnanga. Athukappuram, oru sethiyum kiddaikale.” [Brother, are you keeping fine? Those days, I heard that you have run to Ceylon. After that, I didn’t hear any news about you.]

Then only it became known to the fellow members of that orchestra team that Sivaji Ganesan [a junior] and Subbiah Pillai [a senior] were boyhood pals in a boys drama troupe, and one day [partly because of the disciplinary tactics of their tutors and partly because of the lure provided by a sea-crossing trip to Ceylon], Subbiah Pillai had moved to Ceylon without announcing his decision to his then clique. Thus, the pals became separated.

In the intervening 25 years or so, while Sivaji Ganesan became a famous movie star in Chennai, Subbiah Pillai established himself as a clarinetist in the Radio Ceylon artiste. Subbiah Pillai, as a senior to Sivaji Ganesan, might have taught a few ‘steps’ in the art world then, to the talented rookie. Sivaji never forgot the face of his senior.

I personally knew Subbiah Pillai ‘Master’ in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In fact, for my flute debut performance [Arangetram] held on December 3, 1971, at the Bambalapitiya Sammangodu Vinayagar Temple, my mentor T.P.Jesudas honored him by requesting him to ‘keep the Talam [rhythm keeper]’ in front of me.

Then, after I entered the university, due to demands on time, I lost much contact with those older generation of musicians. One day [before I heard this Sivaji Ganesan anecdote from violinist Shanmuganantham Master] I received the news with shock that Subbiah Pillai ‘Master’ had died in Jaffna hospital, following a medical misadventure after an operation. Even now, I get a lump in my throat when I think about the calm and composed Subbiah Pillai Master – a senior to Sivaji Ganesean of old drama troupe days - who was the only clarinetist I knew in Colombo in those days.
In Memory of Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan - Ram N Ramakrishnan, Doha
"If there was a matinee idol in the realms of Indian cinematic history who received as much accolades and an equally strong bout of criticism for his histrionic abilities, it was Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan. Given that he never achieved the national status that he deserved perhaps is a reflection of the complexities of the language of his mother tongue that required strong grammar, poetic undertones and louder decibels for dialogue delivery. Film critics and audience forming the majority in the North of the Vindayas who were used to the much softer, subtle shayaari and ghazals perhaps found it difficult to applaud Sivaji’s daredevilry in characterization of roles he depicted in his film career. Perhaps if he were to be born out of the Dravidian State and culture, there would have been a national consensus that he was the greatest actor Indian cinema ever produced. It is indeed a misfortune to know that Mr. Nehru pleaded ignorance of the actor when President Nasser of Egypt enquired dearly about him after seeing his stellar performance in “Veerapandia Kattabomman” in the Cairo Film Festival. Nehru did make amends when he made Sivaji the main host when Nasser visited India subsequently!.."

[SejkoRau]

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/...mangeshkar.htm

Lata Mangeshkar & Sivaji Ganesan: An unusual bond
'Lataji is the universal Didi'
Last updated on: September 14, 2009



Not many know that the legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan was a rakhi brother to both Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, and their families have long shared a close relationship.

As we celebrate Lataji's 80th birthday on September 28, Ram Kumar, Ganesan's elder son, remembers the decades of long friendship with the Mangeshkar family:

In the 1950s, Sivaji Productions produced only Hindi movies. Both Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle had sung for the films, but had never met my father, Sivaji Ganesan.

When Ashaji was in Chennai, she happened to watch the Tamil film, Paava Mannippu. When she returned to Mumbai, she told her family that they had to see a Tamil actor called Sivaji Ganesan. So they watched Paava Mannippu at the Aurora theatre (in King's Circle, north-central Mumbai). It was the first Tamil film that they had seen.

During the interval, they realised all of them were crying even though no one understood a word of Tamil. All of them felt he (Sivaji Ganesan) reminded them of their father Dinanath Mangeshkar.

The next day, they contacted my father through HMV (the music label) and flew to Chennai to meet him. They came home, hugged him, tied rakhis and started crying.

From the first meeting itself, everything clicked and the friendship that started almost 50 years ago continues till today. They used to call my parents Anna and Anni.

My father may be no more, but I have continued the relationship. I must have met them when I was six or seven years old, but I remember meeting them in the late 1960s when I was about 13. They attended my sister's wedding in 1968, but I was away then in a boarding school in Bangalore.I got to know them well only in the 1970s when I returned to Chennai after my schooling.

My first memory of Ashaji was that of a fun loving person. Lataji is more reserved. Over the years, Lataji started speaking to me more than she spoke to my parents. I now share a very close relationship with them. I call Ashaji Mummy or Maaji. Lataji is the universal Didi.

We shot Trishulam in Mumbai. They would visit my father on the sets. In the evenings, after the shooting, my parents would go to Peddar Road (in south Mumbai) to spend time with them.

The funny thing about my father and the Mangeshkar sisters was that they spoke to him in Hindi and Marathi and he would speak in his broken Hindi. My father had a great sense of humour. I have seen them enjoying each other's company, laughing and talking. My mother didn't know English or Hindi. Yet, we would see Lataji and Ashaji talking to her for hours -- my mother in Tamil and they in Hindi.

They were very close. They would shop together and spend a lot of time together.

As told to Shobha Warrier

[SejkoRau]

Sivaji: Actor with a Large heart



Thespian Sivaji Ganesan was not just a legendary actor.
In his own way he took part in charity endeavors and was an unofficial ambassador of the Tamil and Indian people whenever he went abroad.

Sivaji would always be remembered as the first to donate a lakh of rupees (a big sum those days) to late prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, towards 'Mid-Day Meals' for poor school children.

When Madras city was ravaged by floods in 1962, he supplied food packets and cash to thousands of affected hut-dwellers.
Taking the initiative, Sivaji organized a drama troupe and the famous ‘Veerapandiya Kattabomman’ was enacted free of cost by his troupe at various places like
Rabhindranath Tagore Centenary Hall, Bangalore
Sarabhoji College, Thanjavur
Victoria Institute, Bodinayakanur
Municipal College, Salem
Ramakrishna Mission, Madras

And he was able to collect Rs 32 lakh from these stage shows.

Right from 1962, every year, for more than 10 years, a series of dramas were performed by him at Bombay in aid of Bharathi Kala Mandram Building and Library. The funds generated for them was an average of a lakh of rupees every year.

These dramas were chaired by esteemed personalities like the Governors of Maharashtra like Prakasha and Vijayalakshmi Pandit, chief minister Y B Chavan, Kannamwar and other ministers of Maharashtra as well as Central ministers including Dr P Subbarayan and Humayun Kabir.

Sivaji had also made significant contributions in south India towards flood relief, The National Defence Fund, construction of schools and hospitals, provision of water facilities in the rural areas and various other deserving causes including aid to numerous students in schools, colleges and technical institutions.

Sivaji was also respected by foreigners in high places. He played host to visiting President Nasser of Egypt, being the only person granted permission by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, to do so. The spectacularly arranged function was attended by dignitaries from various walks of life.

In 1969-70, during troubled times with Pakistan, Sivaji led a group of artistes to the frontier to entertain the jawans.
The group of over 70 artistes organised shows called ‘Sridhar-Sivaji Star Night’ at various district headquarters and an amount exceeding Rs 17 lakh, apart from his own personal contribution, was raised for the Defence Fund.

He and his troupe staged a drama in Chennai for the Welfare of Indian Air Force men which raised about a lakh of rupees.

Sivaji was the first artiste from India to visit the U S under a cultural exchange programme of the US government in 1962, establishing himself as a distinguished cultural ambassador.

During his visit there, he was honored by being made the 'Honorary Mayor’ of Niagara Falls City for one day and was presented Golden Key to the city. The only other Indian who has had this honour before Sivaji was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

On March 12, 1976, he went over to Mauritius on an invitation from Prime Minister Ramgoolam to participate in their Independence Day celebration, and stayed as their government guest for four days.

He was the President of the South Indian Artistes Association (Nadigar Sangam) in Chennai for a period of eight years. During his tenure, he constructed a big auditorium where dramas could be held and films screened as well, the infrastructure being valued at Rs 25 lakh. From the income generated here, he arranged to give some amount to the poor artistes on a regular basis through the Nadigar Sangam.

On March 10, 1983, Sivaji Ganesan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India on the recommendation of the then Congress government led by prime minister Indira Gandhi and was an MP until April 2, 1986.

The French Chevalier award came as a reward for earning several admirers abroad. The then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa arranged a massive function to felicitate him on his receiving the award. (Our Correspondent)

[SejkoRau]

An actor and a gentleman (Article copyed from "The Hindu)

Sivaji Ganesan was well known as one of India's best actors but what was the man like?
SABITA RADHAKRISHNA profiles the thespian.

SEVEN-year-old boy watched the "Veerapandya Kattabomman" nadagam in fascinated silence. He was hoisted on stage to make an appearance as a British soldier. He enjoyed the stage and savoured the applause. Once home, his father, a freedom fighter, thrashed him mercilessly. How could he play the role of an "enemy"? How dared he preen himself on stage! Something broke in the little boy's psyche. What was wrong in being an actor and fending for himself? It would mean one mouth less to feed.

Ganesa joined the Madurai Shri Bala Gana Sabha on the pretext that he was an orphan, aware that his parents would never permit him to leave home, much less join theatre. This young boy became the legendary Sivaji Ganesan, who played the role of "Veerapandiya Kattabomman" in the film of the same name.

Sivaji's growth as an actor was meteoric and phenomenal thanks to single minded pursuit of his goal despite the most adverse of circumstances. His dedication to the theatre, passion, hard work and a grim determination to reach the heights of excellence made him one of the greatest actors in his lifetime with a career span of 65 years and nearly 300 films and innumerable plays to his credit.

The training at the gurukul was rigorous beginning with early bath and then prayers. Training in music and dance followed, and the next session involved learning the dialogues for the night performance. "We did not get one square meal in a day. Though we led an austere life, we had to talk loudly and act like kings on stage... " In Periyakulam, a kindly soul sent the boys a bag of rice. One of them accidentally poured kerosene on the bag. They were so hungry that they washed the rice with soap and ate it. The boys were not permitted to go home in years and letters were censored. They would find centipedes in the shirts, red ants in the wigs and the place was rife with snakes and scorpions. However daunting this may have been, young Ganesan's dogged determination to make it big one day kept him from being resentful or rebellious. He never once forgot a good deed done to him and venerated those who were instrumental in promoting his career.

Annadurai wrote a play "Sivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam" and MGR, who was supposed to play the lead role, backed out with hardly a week left. When the 17-year-old Ganesan rattled off the dialogue in one go, he bagged the coveted lead. Periyar who saw the play announced that in future the young actor would be known as Sivaji Ganesan.

Having suffered abject poverty, he saw to it that his family was well provided for, and took his siblings and their children under his wing, once he began earning well. Often, one who has suffered intense hardship and has abysmal poverty clutches at money when it flows in. But Sivaji, on the other hand, became a great philanthropist. There is no record of how much money he gave to people as it was always done quietly. "Parasakti" catapulted him into fame and fortune. After his foray into films, Sivaji started a drama company just so his colleagues in theatre should not face unemployment. He began to work relentlessly unmindful of his health.

His family life suffered. He worked three shifts a day, often moving from one studio to another hardly going home. "I do not know how my children grew up. They received all the love and attention from their mother Kamala and my brother Shanmugham." Marrying Kamala was the best thing that happened to him and he has often said that she was his greatest asset. Though Sivaji was not actively involved in politics, he supported the ideologies of the leaders he loved, and would always be ready with donations he had collected for a good cause. M. Karunanidhi, whom he considered a brilliant playwright, was a dear childhood playmate. Annadurai and Periyar loved him. Sivaji was so close to M.G. Ramachandran that he visited him in the U.S. when the latter was very ill. Politics was a bitter pill to swallow and time and again, the actor suffered the crushing disappointment of being let down by the very friends that he sought to support. After many such disappointments, he realised the wisdom of moving away from the political arena.

Intensely patriotic, Sivaji Ganesan was quoted as saying that the most valued of his awards were the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan where the Government of India recognised his contribution as a good citizen. Much later than he deserved he received the Dada Phalke Saheb Award. The Chevalier award from the French Government in 1995 in the last phase of his life made the Indians sit up and notice his achievements once more.

Overwork and a hard life took its toll and, on July 21, 2001, the colossus passed on. The world and his family wept, but those who loved him knew that it was not an end but a beginning — for all those children who are being educated with his legacy of love.

[SejkoRau]

In Memory of Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan (Part-1)

If there was a matinee idol in the realms of Indian cinematic history who received as much accolades and an equally strong bout of criticism for his histrionic abilities, it was Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan. Given that he never achieved the national status that he deserved perhaps is a reflection of the complexities of the language of his mother tongue that required strong grammar, poetic undertones and louder decibels for dialogue delivery. Film critics and audience forming the majority in the North of the Vindayas who were used to the much softer, subtle shayaari and ghazals perhaps found it difficult to applaud Sivaji’s daredevilry in characterization of roles he depicted in his film career. Perhaps if he were to be born out of the Dravidian State and culture, there would have been a national consensus that he was the greatest actor Indian cinema ever produced. It is indeed a misfortune to know that Mr. Nehru pleaded ignorance of the actor when President Nasser of Egypt enquired dearly about him after seeing his stellar performance in “Veerapandia Kattabomman” in the Cairo Film Festival.

Nehru did make amends when he made Sivaji the main host when Nasser visited India subsequently! Whilst this article is not to Sivaji’s defense, it presents certain facts and situations that made Sivaji a master of his own craft.

It is important to know that Sivaji in his prime time did not have the liberty of exposure to media that is available to the actors today, to benchmark performances, as he spent time from dawn to dusk facing the arc lights churning out volumes that was needed to establish him as a matinee idol of Tamil Cinema. What he did use was his intelligence, imagination and creativity - traits that formed the hallmark of his entire career. This article also presents a viewpoint of a layman, outside the ambit of the film industry and the fourth estate, on what made Sivaji acquire cult status in the hearts of the Tamil cinema audience.

Sivaji was never considered to be a stylish actor by his critics. Style for men was always associated with their wardrobe, poise, and sophistication of their linguistic abilities and perhaps certain habits they carried on to give the added punch! Sivaji knowing his limitations used his “walk” to bring in the style. Whether it is the majestic walk in “Thiruvilayadal”, or the over-confident one in “Saraswathi Sabatham”, or the humble one in “Thiruvarutselvar” or the millionaire’s arrogant walk in “Navarathiri”, or the Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai inspired walk in “Thangapadakkam”, Sivaji answered his critics for his lack of style by walking. In some instances he added another dimension to the walk by using a walking stick - see him do that in soulful “Ponaal Pogattum Poda - Paalum Pazhamum” or move forward to see the swing of the stick in “Antha naal gnabagam - Uyarntha Manithan”. Unfortunately the critics missed these, but his fans remember!

Smoking was definitely considered to give that extra dimension to a man’s style. Sivaji criticized for his lack of sophistication, smoked in his films to bring style into his characters. In a film “Shanthi”, the music maestros Viswanathan-Ramamurthy, came out with an astounding composition, a Cliff Richard-like number, with continuous strumming of the bass, rhythm and jazz guitars (song: Yaar Antha Nilavu”). This song produced the magic of the three musketeers, Viswanathan - Kannadasan and Sounderrajan and they did produce a masterpiece. Sivaji, who usually is present in the recording, missed it and got to know about this song and requested director K.Shanker more time to picture this sequence. The musketeers waiting to find what he was going to do, were simply dumbfounded when Sivaji came out trumps, singing the entire solo number, mimicking the song by smoking a cigarette! The entire efforts of the trio were sidelined and till date it is Sivaji who got associated with the song and it beats every imagination to know that he produced a masterpiece with a cigarette stub! Look at him smoke the cigarillo in the song sequence “Paartha Gnabagam Illayo - Pudiya Paravai”, or go back to “Paar Magale Paar” where he smoked with a cigarette-holder, move forward to the cigar in “Gnana Oli” or the pipe in “Gauravam”, or just stoop down to the beedi in “Bale Paandiya”. Sivaji smoked each one of them the way it should. If smoking is a bad example, watch him eat peanuts in “Aandavan Kattalai” or the different dimensions of laughter he brought in the way-to-dusty death crime chiller “Antha Naal” or the way he picked up the rickshaw-handle with his left leg for the film “Babu”. Sivaji perhaps used his power of observation, mixed it with his creative intelligence and produced these characters with the sophistication and style that they deserved.

to be continued...

[SejkoRau]

In Memory of Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan ( Part -2)

In most cinemas, physically handicapped persons are normally characterized as downtrodden to obtain public sympathy. Sivaji on the other hand, used physical deformation to the character’s advantage. Watch him in the evergreen - “Alayamani” where he used the wheel chair. In fact so sophisticated was his maneuvering of the wheelchair that it became a part of himself and nobody missed his majestic walk in the film. See him in “Paarthal Pasitheerum” as an injured soldier who has a hop in his walk In the entire film he never missed the frequency of the hop - even in tight close-up (“Songs: ullam enbathu or pillaikku thanthai oruvan”) the head bumped up and down at the right time! The news of him holding his left hand up much after the movie -“ Bhaagapirivanai” - is a part of film folklore!


You can’t beat Sivaji when it comes to playing musical instruments and look at the range. Contrast his sax in the interlude of “Unnai Onru Ketpen”- Puthiya Paravai” to the nadaswaram in “Thillana Moganambal” or just look at him play the guitar with a breeze in “Naan Kavignanum Ilai - Padithaal Mattum Poduma”.

In one instance, when Viswanathan played the piano himself for a song in “Paasa Malar” he was astonished the way Sivaji delivered the piano scene - what Viswanathan saw was not Sivaji, but himself! Sivaji had watched Viswanathan play the piano during the recording and reproduced the act like magic. It is in all probability, that people watching these sequences believed that he and no one else did play that musical instrument!

Never acknowledged as technical genius, in the mould of MGR who was depicted as a cinematic guru, Sivaji had indeed mastered technical nuances in film making by his sheer experience. Fact remains that Sivaji delivered his lengthy dialogue in front of the camera after a cursory glance of dialogue sheets probably due to his photographic memory, present his walk to the chalk marks drawn by the cinematographer to ensure he remained in focus and perhaps closed his dialogue simultaneously! When dubbing became the state-of-the-art in sound engineering, Sivaji could recall his entire stretch of dialogues delivered 6 months back, with the same pause and punch that bewildered men behind the camera. He was indeed a photographer's or an editor's and a director’s delight.

In most accolades to the Chevalier, the historical and mythological roles come into prominence. It is indeed true that many of us till today believe that this was how Kattabomman, V O Chidambaram, Subramaniya Bharathy talked, walked and lived - not to forget the many mythological characters, which any actor of any era would have even made an attempt. Perhaps most actors neither had the guts to perform them nor they dared, or simply kept it out of their range to prevent damage to their image! Despite this, many actors achieved much more status than what Sivaji did in the national arena. Ironically, no one can imagine other actors don the mantle of the great Maratha warrior “Shatrapathi Sivaji”, the very character that rechristened V C Ganesan as Sivaji Ganesan!

Although Sivaji’s prime time ended in the 60s there was that occasional spark in the 70s and 80s that lit up the entire tinsel world. Whether he came in as the Inspector General of Police in “Thangapadakkam” or the Bar-at-law in “Gauravam” or a retired middle class civil servant in “Vietnam Veedu” no one remembers him but those characters. It was unfortunate that producers and directors had commercial propositions overlooking his real value to make blunders like Pilot Premnath, Hitler Umanath, Mirudanga Chakravarthy and Lorry Driver Rajakannu!

Perhaps one cardinal sin Sivaji committed in his entire lifetime was his foray into politics. If there were the brand image consultants of today, they would have rightly advised him to stick to his film career, which could have enlarged his brand equity across the globe! It is presumed he was more thrust into it as a strategy to grab market shares obtained by another matinee idol - MGR. Perhaps it is his fate that he lived in a lifetime that made people draw a parallel with MGR that eventually brought in the MGR-Sivaji divide amongst the film fans. Perhaps his association with one political party invited the wrath of the powers that be in the North Block in the past and Fort St. George in the present. Ultimately, it saddens that he was lured in getting his pet grand-daughter married to a family which conducted the "mother of all marriages", taking the happiness out of his life in his twilight years or perhaps his life itself!

Despite that folly, Sivaji continues to live in the heart of Tamizhars and Tamil speaking people over the globe. Perhaps the right conclusion should be drawn from the caption provided in Sridhar’s film “Nenjirukkum Varai - Till the Heart lives” in the closing shot - it read “Nenjirukkum Varai, unnai maravathiruppom - Thou shall not forget you as long as the heart lives”. The majority of Tamil film fans - past, present and future, know his true value and would always cherish his memory through the characters he played on the silver screen. Actors may come and actors may go, but for the Tamils, there is only one Sivaji!

Adieu Chevalier........your’s was a class act! -------
Ram N Ramakrishnan

[SejkoRau]

http://deepthiveera.hubpages.com/hub...ian-Film-Actor

Dr.Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan, The Great Indian Film Actor


Dr.Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan was the most famous actor of Tamil film industy.

He was known for his versatile acting and incomparable talent. He was born on October 1st 1927 as the son of Villupuram Chinnaiahpillai at Soorakottai village of Tanjore District in Tamil Nadu, India. During his young age he had been acting as a stage actor. One time Thanthai Periyar E.V.Ramasamy, The Great Social Reformer of Tamil Nadu, added the title 'Sivaji' infront of his real name Ganesan after getting impressed by the amazing performance in a public stage where he took the role of the historical king Maratiya Sivaji.

The Film Career Dr.Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan

In his long career span of 50 years he acted in more than 250 films in various languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. During his period in fact no other actor can be compared with his wonderful performance. Since he is from Tamil Nadu he acted in more than 200 films and people of Tamil Nadu kindly called him as 'Nadigar Thilagam'(The Leader of Actors). His debut Tamil film was Parasakthi released in the year 1952. The movie became most successful on account of his wonderful acting and story scripts of Dr.Kalaignar Karunanidhi, the Ccurrent C.M of Tamil Nadu. Later he proved himself as number one great actor by showing excellent performance in successively released Tamil movies.

n 1960s Sivaji Ganesan showed great interest on acting in various movies based on historical stories. 'Karnan', 'RajaRajaCholan', 'VeeraPandiyaKattabomman', 'Manohara', 'Ambikapathy' and 'Thiruvilayadal' are some of the successful movies based on historical stories. 'Pasamalar', 'Parasakthi', 'Pesum Deivam', 'Avanthan Manithan', 'Thangapathakkam', 'Uyarntha Manithan', 'Palum Pazhamum', 'Viyatnam Veedu' and 'Motor Sundaram Pillai' are some of his super hit films based on family stories. 'Thatcholi Ambu' is one of his successful Malayalam movie. In his later years he began to take the role of father and elder brother. 'Padikkathavan' and 'Padayappa' are some of the Tamil movies in which Sivaji took the father and elder brother roles.
Dr.Sivaji Ganesan As Raja Raja Cholan from one of his acted Movie named 'Raja Raja Cholan'
Dr.Sivaji Ganesan As Raja Raja Cholan from one of his acted Movie named 'Raja Raja Cholan'

The Awards Won By This Great Actor

Sivaji Ganesan won the best actor reward in the International film festival held at Cairo during 1959. In 1966 and 1984 he received Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards for his dedicated contribution in the film industry. His excellent performance in VeeraPandiyaKattabomman fetched him the award Chevalier from France Government in 1995. In the year 2000 Indian Government conferred him the prestigious ThaTha Shakeb Palthakare award to honour his great performance in Indian film industry.

The End of Dr.Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan, The Great Era!

In the year 2000, Sivaji's health was severely affected and he died on 21 July 2001. Really people of Tamil Nadu and his millions of fans from different parts of the world shed tears for the demise of this Great Actor! The Tamil Nadu Government, headed by Dr.Kalaignar Karunanidhi, has installed a statue on the beach road of Chennai to honour this legendary actor.

[SejkoRau]

The Stylist Forever - The Tamil chevalier leaves behind him a kaleidoscope of characters and emotions

Kamal Haasan on Sivaji Ganesan

Sivaji saab is the genetic code embedded in every Tamil actor. Even if we try to be independent, the dna imprint remains. For 48 years, Tamils have been under the spell of Sivaji. He had a large heart—that was his medical problem too. We had almost given up on him in 1993 when the doctors gave him just two years. We took him to France, did everything we could. He survived his heart ailment for 15 years. But for his ill-health, he would have been active even in the last four years.

Sivaji was style personified—he would not take it off like a shirt. He slept in style; woke up in style; came to work in style. He was style. He was the trendsetter. And I'm proud to be his descendant.

My association with him dates back to my childhood. I was about four years old when we met in the studios. Once, he even said how I might have sat on his lap more than his children. He would always be in the studios then. I was the vidushak who would be made to recite Sivaji sir's dialogues on the sets.

Sivakumar, a fellow-actor, and I used to have sessions where we competed over narrating his dialogues. We would compete over who remembered more. That's the kind of effect he has. Even for the present generation, Sivaji is the man. Upcoming artists are told, "Become an actor like Sivaji." Even for my children, he is the ultimate.

As for criticism that Sivaji overacted or was loud, why don't these westernized critics look at Akira Kurosawa's films? We have a certain style that is rooted here. We have either actors or non-actors. The Japanese never compromised to suit European tastes and I respect them. So much so that Hollywood went on to adapt/remake Japanese films. This is part of an Asian aesthetic. Sivaji too has to be translated for a western audience.

For that matter, even the early Chaplin was "loud". And so were Hollywood stars of the early black-and-white era. We are more willing to learn and try hard to appreciate an Elvis Presley but not our own icons. If Elvis spawned a thousand clones in the West, so did Sivaji here. He is our Elvis. He is the King.

Now, an Indian funeral is itself so different—there's so much emotion, so many tears, such drama. A European funeral is such a contrast. There's great restraint. Even the sorrow is muted. Sivaji's acting is as much a part of our culture. But see how Sivaji in Thevar Magan turns a new leaf. Here, the actor steps out of his era. And Thevar Magan was my kind of salute to a doyen.

Personally, I can't be critical of Sivaji sir. I have been so close to him and such an admirer, I cannot be alive to his faults, if any. I lose my critical faculties. He's been a goading force, other than a guiding force. I am utterly biased about him and there's no scholar left in me. Sivaji has been such a challenge that it makes an actor ask himself, "What's the use of being born after him?" With Sivaji, you touch base.

The only thing Sivaji perhaps regretted was that he was not well-read like me. He lacked the vocabulary, he felt. That was his modesty. "I'm just a school dropout," he once said at a function. On the other hand, I have the dubious distinction of having uttered dialogues, even reciting poetry, in Telugu, Malayalam and other tongues. But I cannot read any of these languages. Whereas Sivaji was the master when it came to Tamil. Nobody could match up to him. Once, when I was a child actor, I could not pronounce arisi (Tamil for rice) correctly and he would intone it like me and make fun. He was the master of Tamil diction.

As a politician, Sivaji failed. He was too straightforward. He never asked for favours, and was not clever or even wise in politics. Sivaji behaved like a king even in politics. I differed with Sivaji's political beliefs, but that would not in any way lessen my regard for him. And whatever their political differences, Karunanidhi and Sivaji made for a great artistic duo. (Karunanidhi scripted Sivaji's debut film Parasakthi and many more.) If one was the mind, the other was the voice.

The irony is Sivaji gave me an opportunity to rehearse the death scene in real life. After Thevar Magan, where we did a death scene, I received news from Singapore that he had passed away during a function there. I was so shaken and went through such emotions, and I was only a happy fool the next morning to realise that the news was wrong. But this time it was for real.