Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan

[groucho070]

Yeah, I know, Nov. Your presence as a fan is much more preferred than a moderator, hehe.

As for AnthaNaal Nyabagam...I have cousin who innocently asked his mom (one of my Old movie source) whether it was NT singing! I think by then TMS got NT's style down pat that normal audience you can't tell the difference.

For that song - I learned from a TMS interview - he ran a couple of rounds around the studio before singing. Good homework.

Now, I think if it was for someone else, he would not have bothered. Knowing very well that NT is (again) going eat up the song and overshadow all those behind it (Kannadhasan, MSV, TMS), he better do somework on it. The result is one of the most memorable song, with playback singer and actor outperforming each other.

Uyarndha Manithan, of course, is another example of restrained acting. His internal performance very much contrasts Ashogan's very external outbursts.

Note: Each time I revisit this movie...I kinda get sidetracked. One, for Vaneesree's beauty. Yummy! And secondly, Sowcar's performance. Rarely you see her doing this kind of role.

[abkhlabhi]

I am entering into the 100th page.

NT in an interview with T.R .Jawahar, he said that 'I can never become a director. I can only act and this I can and I want to do till my last breath. I am not so talented as these youngsters who could write, act, sing, dance and direct'.

NT was an ageless wonder. If the current generation were to study his career they would emerge completely confused about the chronology of his movies. Would anyone believe if I say that he did Navarathiri, Karnan and Puthiya Paravai in the same year? Or for that matter Thillana Mohanambal and Ooty Varai Uravu? Or again Thiruvarutchelvar and Iru Malargal? And to think that he was just thirty one when he played Kattabomman, the macho Tamil chieftain who dared the British or as the venerable V.O.C just a year later! For him acting was a series of different states of mind and the moment his mood shifted to the latest role on hand, the inner spirit automatically generated the relevant body language and expressions on the exterior. Here was a man whose every cell, every drop of blood, every sinew and muscle could act, thus creating a colossal facade that was much, much more than the sum of all its parts.

Such was the range of his histrionic abilities that he dwarfed all his peers and strode the tinsel world like a towering titan. Bestowed with an imposing demeanour, a powerful screen presence, a resonating voice that could also melt into a cool stream and vibrant eyes housed in a remarkable face, Sivaji was a make-up man's delight and a director's dream.

REGARDING OVER ACTING :
NT was often accused of over emoting, but then with his bottomless ocean of skill, he could carry on till eternity unless the director bothered to say 'cut'. And few directors had the heart to stop the deluge and often left it to his fans to consume to their fill. In a way such directors did him a dis-service, but Sivaji had also proved that he was capable of 'restraining' himself if the director wanted it that way and movies like Sridhar's Nenjirukkum Varai, Balachander's Yethiroli and Savale Samali stand testimony to this facet of the actor. Sivaji was a gold mine of talent. He could be presented as raw gold, cut to size, polished to taste, made into any kind of jewellery or moulded into any shape. It was wholly upto the director to take his pick. But he was gold all the same, pure and pristine.

NT was a national treasure but was also sadly a victim of regional bias. In a milieu dominated by Hindi film intellectuals who moulded filmi opinion at the national level, Sivaji was deliberately overlooked, though international recognition came his way unsolicited. For them Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were pan Indian icons but Sivaji never figured in their scheme of things just because he hailed from a regional filmdom and spoke a local tongue. And paradoxically for him, in Tamilnadu he suffered because of the reverse effect. While he threw his lot with a national party, he was promptly sidelined owing to the dominance of Dravidian politicians of the sixties, who had appointed themselves as the sole custodians of Tamil. Could there ever be a greater protagonist of Tamil than Sivaji Ganesan or has anyone else enriched and elevated the language as he did, beyond paroachical walls and transcending State borders?

Though Sivaji Ganesan brought glory and world attention to the State and his mother tongue, it is also a fact that he was badly let down here. An artiste of international stature was confined to totally local terrain.

All said, Sivaji Ganesan would ever remain the mascot for acting, for admirers and critics alike.

[abkhlabhi]

I am entering into the 100th page.

NT in an interview with T.R .Jawahar, he said that 'I can never become a director. I can only act and this I can and I want to do till my last breath. I am not so talented as these youngsters who could write, act, sing, dance and direct'.

NT was an ageless wonder. If the current generation were to study his career they would emerge completely confused about the chronology of his movies. Would anyone believe if I say that he did Navarathiri, Karnan and Puthiya Paravai in the same year? Or for that matter Thillana Mohanambal and Ooty Varai Uravu? Or again Thiruvarutchelvar and Iru Malargal? And to think that he was just thirty one when he played Kattabomman, the macho Tamil chieftain who dared the British or as the venerable V.O.C just a year later! For him acting was a series of different states of mind and the moment his mood shifted to the latest role on hand, the inner spirit automatically generated the relevant body language and expressions on the exterior. Here was a man whose every cell, every drop of blood, every sinew and muscle could act, thus creating a colossal facade that was much, much more than the sum of all its parts.

Such was the range of his histrionic abilities that he dwarfed all his peers and strode the tinsel world like a towering titan. Bestowed with an imposing demeanour, a powerful screen presence, a resonating voice that could also melt into a cool stream and vibrant eyes housed in a remarkable face, Sivaji was a make-up man's delight and a director's dream.

REGARDING OVER ACTING :
NT was often accused of over emoting, but then with his bottomless ocean of skill, he could carry on till eternity unless the director bothered to say 'cut'. And few directors had the heart to stop the deluge and often left it to his fans to consume to their fill. In a way such directors did him a dis-service, but Sivaji had also proved that he was capable of 'restraining' himself if the director wanted it that way and movies like Sridhar's Nenjirukkum Varai, Balachander's Yethiroli and Savale Samali stand testimony to this facet of the actor. Sivaji was a gold mine of talent. He could be presented as raw gold, cut to size, polished to taste, made into any kind of jewellery or moulded into any shape. It was wholly upto the director to take his pick. But he was gold all the same, pure and pristine.

NT was a national treasure but was also sadly a victim of regional bias. In a milieu dominated by Hindi film intellectuals who moulded filmi opinion at the national level, Sivaji was deliberately overlooked, though international recognition came his way unsolicited. For them Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were pan Indian icons but Sivaji never figured in their scheme of things just because he hailed from a regional filmdom and spoke a local tongue. And paradoxically for him, in Tamilnadu he suffered because of the reverse effect. While he threw his lot with a national party, he was promptly sidelined owing to the dominance of Dravidian politicians of the sixties, who had appointed themselves as the sole custodians of Tamil. Could there ever be a greater protagonist of Tamil than Sivaji Ganesan or has anyone else enriched and elevated the language as he did, beyond paroachical walls and transcending State borders?

Though Sivaji Ganesan brought glory and world attention to the State and his mother tongue, it is also a fact that he was badly let down here. An artiste of international stature was confined to totally local terrain.

All said, Sivaji Ganesan would ever remain the mascot for acting, for admirers and critics alike.

[abkhlabhi]

Here are excerpts of an interview given by NT during 1990s, done when there was no inkling that he would soon be gone:

Among the numerous awards that you have been given in your career, which is the one that you cherish the most? ?
I would say that the award I got for my role in Veerapandiya Kattabomman at the Afro-Asian Festival is very dear to my heart. Maybe it is because the award was the first in my career. I treasure it very much to this day.

Does it bother you that your signal contribution to the film industry has gone unrecognised for so long? ?
I am way past awards now. But, yes, there is a corner in my heart that does wonder why I wasn't acknowledged at a time when I was actively performing on screen. It hurts me to think about it sometimes.

Even the Dadasaheb Phalke award was conferred on you after a long time. Do you think that politics might have played a part in it?
Well, there may have been favouritism, but I wouldn't agree with the idea that there has been any political intervention in awarding an individual. From what I know about this (award), there is a certain committee that approaches the concerned minister with a list of nominees for the award. If the minister isn't biased or influenced, then the award does find its way to the right candidate. If that is not the case, then anybody who has been lobbying for the award gets it.

The award that was given to me apparently was originally "intended" for someone else. Even I got to know about this from some officials in the government whom I was familiar with.

Which role would you describe as your most satisfying?
There was a role that I played in Kappalottiya Thamizhan. I was portraying the famous Tamil freedom fighter V U Chidambaram. That was one of my favourites. In fact, after seeing the film, his son hugged me and said that he could almost see his father in me. I felt truly honoured that day.
Another exciting film was Deivamagan, where I had to play three different roles. I had to work really hard to make all of them appear distinct.

Did you use any method of preparation when you had to act out historical characters like V O C Kattabomman and Subramania Bharathi?
Well, there was nothing specific. I didn't get the opportunity to read up on them, because in those days it was really hard to come upon any authentic material. My only form of preparation would be to thoroughly go over the script and then to employ my own sensibilities to explore the character.

In the 300 films that you have acted in, you played a variety of roles. How hard was it for you to switch characters with every new performance?
I don't think there was anything exceptional in that. A few years of practice and you get adept at it. But I do feel that the best way of going about it is not to limit your involvement with the character to the professional hours alone. One must try and keep the role in mind all the time. The characters would play on my mind even when I was in the bathroom, or in my private time, over lunch or even during my afternoon siesta.

Was it harder for you to act in a comedy?
I enjoyed working in a comic role tremendously. It's extremely hard to play a comedian. It's the kind of creative challenge that you don't get too often. The film industry was always looking to get me to play more emotional characters, so I didn't get to do too much comedy in my career.

Do you have any favourite actors?
Yes, several, in fact. Among international stars, I have immense respect for Charles Boyar, Ronald Goldman, Balmuni. In Hindi cinema, I think very few can compare to Dilip Kumar. I also like Sanjeev Kumar and Nargis. In Tamil cinema, there are stalwarts like M R Radha and Baliah. These actors are irreplaceable.

And among your co-stars?
I liked working with Padmini. She is a fabulous dancer and she could do a variety of roles, from emotional ones to comedy - an incredibly gifted actress.

Is there any particular character you would like to play if given the chance?
There is one character that I have always longed to play. It's that of Periyar E V Ramaswami. He was the man who gave me the title "Sivaji" after my stage play on the Maratha king (of the same name). It's my dream to portray him on screen.
(Sadly enough, Sivaji Ganesan expired before he could fulfil his dream.)

[saradhaa_sn]

நான் ஏற்கெனவே சொல்லியிருந்தேன். சில நேரங்களில் உண்மைகள் சுடும். ஆனாலும் கடந்த காலத்தை தெரிந்துகொள்ள விரும்புவோர்க்கு சொல்லித்தான் ஆக வேண்டும்.

சிவாஜியை வைத்து படம் எடுத்தவர்கள் எம்.ஜி.ஆரை வைத்து படம் தயாரிக்கும்போது, படம் பாதி வளர்ந்த நிலையில், ஒருசில 'நிர்ப்பந்தங்கள்' காரணமாக அந்த தயாரிப்பாளர் அல்லது இயக்குன*ரிடம் இருந்து சிவாஜியை தாக்கி அறிக்கைகள் வெளியாகும்.

கட்டபொம்மன், கப்பலோட்டிய தமிழன், கர்ணன் படங்களை எடுத்த பந்துலு "ஆயிரத்தில் ஒருவன்' எடுத்தபோதும், பல சிவாஜி படங்களை இயக்கி விட்டு 'உரிமைக்குர'லுக்காக அவரிடம் போன ஸ்ரீதரிடமிருந்தும் அப்படி அறிக்கைகள் வெளியாயின.

அதில் பெரிய கொடுமை என்னவென்றால் 'நவராத்திரி','திருவிளையாடல்', சரஸ்வதி சபதம், 'தில்லானா மோகனாம்பாள்' போன்ற வெற்றிப்படங்களை எடுத்து பணத்தை மூட்டை மூட்டையாக கட்டிய இயக்குநர் மற்றும் தயாரிப்பாளர் ஏ.பி.நாகராஜன், எம்.ஜி.ஆரை வைத்து 'நவரத்தினம்' படத்தை பாதி எடுத்த நிலையில் ஒரு அறிக்கை விட்டார் (நிர்ப்பந்தம்???). அதில் அவர் "நான் சிவாஜியை வைத்து படம் எடுத்தேனே தவிர பணம் எடுக்கவில்லை" என்று மனச்சாட்சிக்கு விரோதமாக சொல்லியிருந்தார்.

அதைப்படித்த சிவாஜி ரசிகர்கள் மற்றும் விவரம் தெரிந்த அனைவருக்கும் கொதிப்பு. நவரத்தினம் படத்தை பெரும் பொருட்செலவுடன் எம்.ஜி.ஆருக்கு ஒன்பது கதாநாயகிகளைப் போட்டு எடுத்தார்.

படம் வெளியானது. ரிஸல்ட்..???. படம் 'அட்டர் ஃப்ளாப்' (படுதோல்வி). ரிஸல்ட்டை அறிந்ததும் ஏ.பி.நாகராஜன் அதிர்ச்சியந்தார். மனத்தளவில் பெரிதும் பாதிப்படைந்த அவர் மாரடைப்பில் காலமானார்.

அப்போது 'நவரத்தினம்' வெளியாகி இருபத்தி ஒண்ணாவது நாள்.

[joe]

நான் ஏற்கெனவே சொல்லியிருந்தேன். சில நேரங்களில் உண்மைகள் சுடும். ஆனாலும் கடந்த காலத்தை தெரிந்துகொள்ள விரும்புவோர்க்கு சொல்லித்தான் ஆக வேண்டும்.

சிவாஜியை வைத்து படம் எடுத்தவர்கள் எம்.ஜி.ஆரை வைத்து படம் தயாரிக்கும்போது, படம் பாதி வளர்ந்த நிலையில், ஒருசில 'நிர்ப்பந்தங்கள்' காரணமாக அந்த தயாரிப்பாளர் அல்லது இயக்குன�ரிடம் இருந்து சிவாஜியை தாக்கி அறிக்கைகள் வெளியாகும்.

கட்டபொம்மன், கப்பலோட்டிய தமிழன், கர்ணன் படங்களை எடுத்த பந்துலு "ஆயிரத்தில் ஒருவன்' எடுத்தபோதும், பல சிவாஜி படங்களை இயக்கி விட்டு 'உரிமைக்குர'லுக்காக அவரிடம் போன ஸ்ரீதரிடமிருந்தும் அப்படி அறிக்கைகள் வெளியாயின.

அதில் பெரிய கொடுமை என்னவென்றால் 'நவராத்திரி','திருவிளையாடல்', சரஸ்வதி சபதம், 'தில்லானா மோகனாம்பாள்' போன்ற வெற்றிப்படங்களை எடுத்து பணத்தை மூட்டை மூட்டையாக கட்டிய இயக்குநர் மற்றும் தயாரிப்பாளர் ஏ.பி.நாகராஜன், எம்.ஜி.ஆரை வைத்து 'நவரத்தினம்' படத்தை பாதி எடுத்த நிலையில் ஒரு அறிக்கை விட்டார் (நிர்ப்பந்தம்???). அதில் அவர் "நான் சிவாஜியை வைத்து படம் எடுத்தேனே தவிர பணம் எடுக்கவில்லை" என்று மனச்சாட்சிக்கு விரோதமாக சொல்லியிருந்தார்.

அதைப்படித்த சிவாஜி ரசிகர்கள் மற்றும் விவரம் தெரிந்த அனைவருக்கும் கொதிப்பு. நவரத்தினம் படத்தை பெரும் பொருட்செலவுடன் எம்.ஜி.ஆருக்கு ஒன்பது கதாநாயகிகளைப் போட்டு எடுத்தார்.

படம் வெளியானது. ரிஸல்ட்..???. படம் 'அட்டர் ஃப்ளாப்' (படுதோல்வி). ரிஸல்ட்டை அறிந்ததும் ஏ.பி.நாகராஜன் அதிர்ச்சியந்தார். மனத்தளவில் பெரிதும் பாதிப்படைந்த அவர் மாரடைப்பில் காலமானார்.

அப்போது 'நவரத்தினம்' வெளியாகி இருபத்தி ஒண்ணாவது நாள்.

உள்ளம் என்பது ஆமை
அதில் உண்மை என்பது ஊமை
சொல்லில் வருவது பாதி
நெஞ்சில் தூங்கி கிடப்பது நீ(மீ)தி

[tacinema]

Thanks Saradha. Earlier, I kind of emphasized the same point. MGR made a great self-propaganda stressing that he was very good to the core. Instead, I always believe MGR was a very good manipulator, turning a negative into a positive.

I won't even wonder if somebody claims that MGR's Navarathnam was a silver-jubilee hit movie!!??

If someone says that NT overacts, can he/she define exactly what is an acting? If you define what is an acting, then I will prove you that NT never acted, but "lived" as that character.

[selvakumar]

Sardhaa,
Let me reiterate the point of Thirumaran anna here ! Whatever be the thing that you are telling might be correct or wrong. But the point here is: Just for proving the vital information on NT, it is not good to degrade MGR !

And we may not be sure (being young) whether all the details are correct or not and we least bother about it until both the legends' fame and pride is retained in everything !

Please don't take this young kid's post as serious it is just a request from my side too !

[joe]

Sardhaa,
Let me reiterate the point of Thirumaran anna here ! Whatever be the thing that you are telling might be correct or wrong. But the point here is: Just for proving the vital information on NT, it is not good to degrade MGR !

And we may not be sure (being young) whether all the details are correct or not and we least bother about it until both the legends' fame and pride is retained in everything !

Please don't take this young kid's post as serious it is just a request from my side too !

Selvakumar,
We all understand Thirumaran's and yours point of view..We never wanted to degrade Makkal Thilagam ..Pls go and see MGR thread ..Most of us ,Nadigar Thilagam fans contributed a lot there and posted messages .Can you see that with any other fans of rivals?

But here sarada stating some facts since it is related with NT ,how he was projected in wrong side for his humbleness and not being cunning .

Recently I read a book on Chandrababu in which I found real face of 'Pon mana chemmal' ,hard to beleive ,but those are facts..anyway I won't post those info in this hub since I don't want upset anybody.

[selvakumar]

Selvakumar,
But here sarada stating some facts since it is related with NT ,how he was projected in wrong side for his humbleness and not being cunning .
Recently I read a book on Chandrababu in which I found real face of 'Pon mana chemmal' ,hard to beleive ,but those are facts..anyway I won't post those info in this hub since I don't want upset anybody.

Joe, All your points are accepted. Infact I have't see any such bond b/w the fans of any other rivals ! (IMO)
Yes.. Everymen have their own +s and -s. I mean.. What I felt there was, for justifying the greatness of NT, MGR was brought into the scene . Anyhow, I don't want to stop the nice discussion u people are having which can help us in understanding the past Thanks a lot for that !