Vision of Life

Sivaji Ganesan – The Born Actor

Sivaji Ganesan's "Annai Illam."

The thespian of the Telugu movie world, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, commented that Sivaji Ganesan was not an actor made by diligent practice but an inborn actor.

Sivaji Ganesan’s original name was Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy. "It is understood that Periyar Ramasamy Naicker, the patriarch of the Dravidian movement, gave him the stage name 'Sivaji Ganesan' after watching his performance in the play Sivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam. The play was written by the late C.N. Annadurai, the founder of the D.M.K. party.

The fact that Sivaji Ganesan was a born actor was evident right from his debut movie, "Parasakthi", in which he played the lead role, "Gunasekaran". The courtroom scene in the movie is one of his iconic scenes, wherein he attacks the prevailing social evils.

The producers A.V. Meiyyapan (A.V.M. Productions) and P.A. Perumal Mudaliar (National Pictures) and directors Krishnan-Panju were not impressed with Sivaji Ganesan’s acting skills in the beginning. The news spread like wild fire that the movie was going to be shelved. Even the hero of the movie, Sivaji, was doubtful whether he would be retained. He was said to have commented that the trees in the AVM Studios had not grown with natural waters but with his tears.

However, the producers and the directors completed the production of the movie with Sivaji Ganesan as the hero, rather reluctantly.

The film faced tough opposition from the orthodox community and the Congress party for the incisive dialogues written by M. Karunanidhi, the future chief minister of Tamil Nadu, attacking the upper castes for the social evils. The orthodox community was angered by the courtroom scene of the film and petitioned the government to ban it.

Sensing the public mood, the chief minister, C. Rajagopalachari, even deployed police intelligence to monitor whether the movie posed a threat to public peace. When the police favoured the film in its report, all decks were cleared for its release.

Though the film critics predicted that the movie would be a flop, it ran for 175 days in some theatres, and the lengthy courtroom scene stole the show. This picture earned him overnight stardom.

There are many great movies of Sivaji about which I cannot write due to space constraints. So, I will mention a few of his great movies in Tamil and Telugu.

Many of his great movies were either remade or dubbed into Telugu.

“Veerapandya Kattabomman” and “Raja Raja Cholan” were his periodic movies in which he played the title roles.

In the movie "Tiruvarutselvar", an adaptation from Peria Puranam, he played five distinct roles.

In the mythological movie "Tiruvilayadal", he is Lord Siva. Disguised as a firewood vendor, Shiva sings "Pattum Naane, Bhavamum Naane" in the Gowrimanohari raga to drive away Hemanatha Bhagavathar, a visiting musician who has challenged Madurai’s court musicians. Realising that a humble firewood vendor sings with such mastery, Hemanatha fears that the actual court musicians must be peerless and quietly slips away. Thus Lord Shiva saves the honour of the king, his devotee.

He plays the lead role in “Karnan” also. His quiet endurance as a wounded hero is impressive when Lord Krishna (NTR), disguised as a Brahmin, begs him to surrender the dharma that had protected him from death.

Among his great social movies, “Kaval Deivam" and “Thanga Pathakam” need special mention. In the former, he is a toddy tapper who is hanged in a murder case; , he perfectly fits into the role of the killer who kills the goons for molesting his teenage daughter and making her commit suicide. The audience cannot help shedding tears, as the hero, being led to the gallows, advises his prison mates to lead good lives after their release. In the latter, he is a sincere police officer who shoots his traitor son to death.

“Vietnam Veedu” is another great social film in which he lived in the role of ‘Prestige’ Padmanabha Iyer, an honest company executive. His premature retirement leads to financial strain in the family. Iyer dies due to sudden excitement about getting a director's post overseas by his former company. Sivaji Ganesan presented this intensely emotional drama over one thousand shows on stage under the banner of ‘Sivaji Nataka Manram’ in the 1960s before it was made into a film in 1970. His lip sync and facial expressions in the song ‘Un kannil neer vazhindal…' make one teary-eyed when he finds emotional support from his devoted wife, Sivagami (Padmini).

In “Iru Malargal", Sunder (Sivaji Ganesan) loves Uma (Padmini), his classmate in the college, but is forced to marry his cousin Shanti (K.R. Vijaya) due to some twists in the story. Uma enters into his life as a tutor to his young daughter, Geetha (Roja Ramani). In the climax, Uma leaves for a boarding school along with the orphaned children of her late brother and sister-in-law. Sivaji Ganesan’s acting as the hero torn between the two women is great.

He played the title role in “Rajapat Rangadurai", which evaluates the changing trends of the theatre. Though he performed traditional roles in the beginning, he adapted himself to the changing trends and dons the roles of the patriots of the Indian freedom struggle and that of Shakespeare-like Hamlet.

“Viswanatha Nayakudu” is a Telugu periodical film in which Nagama Nayaka (Sivaji Ganesan) rises in revolt against Sri Krishnadevaraya but commits suicide when taken captive. When Veerasekhara Chola occupies the kingdom of Madurai and drives away Chandrasekhara Pandyan, a vasal of Sri Krishnadevaraya, Sri Krishnadevaraya sends his army general Nagama Nayaka to restore the kingdom of Madurai to the Pandyan king. When Nagama Nayaka, an able general of Sri Krishnadevaraya, usurped Madurai, the enraged emperor sent Nagama's son, Viswanatha Nayaka, to restore control. Viswanatha Nayaka takes his father Nagama Nayaka captive in the battle. Unable to bear the shame, Nagama Nayaka decapitates himself. Sivaji Ganesan in the role of Nagama Nayaka is simply great.

His histrionic talent in switching over from laughter to crying and making his left jaw pulsate in an emotional scene is quite inimitable.

One can observe the subtle pulsation of his left jaw in his lip sync for the song “yaar tharuvar intha ariyasanam” in the movie “Mahakavi Kalidas” and in the song “Thirumal Perumaikku…” in “Thirumal Perumai (The Greatness of Lord Vishnu).”

South Boag Road in T. Nagar, Madras, where his bungalow “Annai Illam” was situated, was named after him as “Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Road.

Yes, this great thespian is a 'Chevalier'.

Some snippets which show cases his acting talents

Courtroom scene in “Parasakthi.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7k8dt6FykI

Yaar, Tharuvar Intha Ariasanam (Mahakavi Kalidas)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yajjvu_9fk&list=RD5Yajjvu_9fk&start_radio=1

Lord Krishna (NTR) begs Karnanan (Sivaji Ganesan) to surrender his dharma (Karnan)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K9UgFkelyA

Veera Pandya Kattabomman (Sivaji) hanging scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xW6bAEEmSc

Sivaji as Bhagat Singh (Rajapat Rangadurai)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkxRC8ikSc4&list=RDGkxRC8ikSc4&start_radio=1