October 1st is the birthday of a great actor in Kollywood Industry, Sivaji Ganesan and Google Doodle celebrates and remembers the 93rd birthday of Sivaji Ganesan, which is illustrated by Bangalore-based guest artist Noopur Rajesh Choksi. Sivaji Ganesan was one of India’s first method actors and he was also widely considered to be among India’s most influential actors of all time.
Short description about Sivaji Ganesan:
Sivaji Ganesan’s full name was Villupuram Chinniah Ganesan, aka V.C. Ganesan, born on October 1, 1928, in Villupuram, located in Tamilnadu.
At the age of 7, he decided to leave home and join a theater group, and thus started his career by playing child and female roles, then lead roles. The first great role he got in his career was the role of the Maratha warrior Sivaji in a drama named Sivaji Kanda Samrajyam. The name Sivaji became iconic to him and Ganesan carried the crown for the whole film career.
Then a big break in Sivaji’s career came around 1952 as he acted as the hero in Parasakthi, a film written by DMK leader M. Karunanidhi and directed by Krishnan-Panju. Sivaji had an extraordinary flair for dialogue delivery and he also pioneered an exquisite style, tone, and tenor. He played a wide range of characters, from God and King to commoner, proving that there was not a role that he didn’t play on screen. However, his career’s best film was Kappalottiya Thamizhan according to him, based on the life of a freedom fighter, V.O. Chidambaram.
Sivaji Ganesan excelled in many roles such as the historical Great Chola emperor in Raja Cholan, Lord Shiva in the movie Thiruvilaiyaadal, Saivite saint Appar in Thiruvarutchelvar, Vaishnavite saint Periyaalvar in Thirumal Perumai, or even a Tamil poet in Ambigapathy, he did his best in all. He was also the best in contemporary roles and stereotypes thus he made every performance a memorable one. Many would see him as an actor, well known for theatrical performance, but his natural play could also be seen in classic films like Thillana Moganambal, Kai Kodutha Deivam, Ooty Varai Uravu, and many more.
Later, he also adapted to the new age director’s films like his role in the middle-age romantic drama in Bharatiraaja’s Muthal Mariyathai in 1985. And the drama indeed won much appreciation.
But many considered it an injustice that the ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ never won the prestigious national award for best actor. He made a cameo role in the Kamal Haasan-starrer Deiva Magan, released in 1992, and the film won him the National Awards Jury’s Special Jury award in 1993. But Sivaji, incidentally, declined the award. In 1995, France awarded Sivaji with its highest decoration, Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. Towards the end of his career, in 1997, the government honored him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, considered India’s highest award in the cinema field. Actually ‘Deiva Magan’ was the first Tamil film which got selected for the Oscars.
Noopur Rajesh Choksi, talking about the message she wants to deliver from the doodle, said: “They will feel Sivaji Ganesan’s infectious vibrant energy and all the joy, passion, and pride that he took in his work when they see the Doodle. He continues to inspire and live through his work so I hope it encourages more people to chase their dreams and express themselves creatively, freely, and with conviction,”.
Thanking Noopur Rajesh, Sivaji Ganesan’s grandson Vikram Prabhu tweeted, “Appreciate the people from Google India & their guest artist Noopur Rajesh Choksi for the doodle art. Another proud moment! Love him and miss him more every year!”
