Shivaji Ganesan

Other Article

Interview

The man, who is referred to as Simha kural (the lion’s voice) will no more speak. It is something, which the Tamil film industry and the movie crazy state have yet to come to terms. When the news of the death of thespian Sivaji Ganesan spread like wild fire in the evening hours of Saturday, July 21, the shocked film industry and fans of the actor rushed to Apollo Hospital in Chennai to have a glimpse of the great actor. The next day, his house was besieged by thousands of commoners, especially women who beat their chests and sobbed violently. They braved the lathis of the police on duty. The crowds kept on pouring in. The general concept was that Sivaji was more popular with the middle class movie goers in Tamil Nadu than MGR. His films, when released had the upper class stalls full and later only the front benches got full while with MGR movies, it was in the reverse order. The crowds that thronged the thespian’s house defied this theory. The women who came in large numbers were from the lower-middle and lower strata of the society. It was they who wept ashamedly and beat their chests in public.

His death disproved many theories that floated around. Cynics said that the fans who thronged his house on his birthday were paid crowds and that this frail old man had no friends in the outside world or in the film industry. He was a lonely man biding his time. Condolences poured in and the who’s who of South cinema starting from Dr. Rajkumar to Jayalalitha (who is supposed to have an estranged relationship with Sivaji) and needless to say, the political heavyweights from all political parties came to pay their homage. Each of them had an anecdote to tell showed that the thespian was no loner and had a social circle, which no one could boast off.

Sivaji and Karunanidhi
This friendship is something, which is unique in the annals of Tamil film industry. Sivaji, who started out as the lead man in Parasakthi because MGR (then unknown) did not turn up shot to fame with his dialogue delivery and acting.

With friend and colleague Karunanidhi

The first dialogue he said facing the camera was Success Success which was prophetic. Scripted by Karunanidhi, the film boosted the ideals of atheism propagated by the DMK. Sivaji became the icon of the DMK in the earlier 50’s. Karunanidhi wrote scripts for Sivaji and together they were a hit. A trip to Tirupathi in mid 1950s made Sivaji an outcast and by then MGR was fast rising up to be the new icon of the party. Sivaji moved over to EVK Sampath’s Tamil Nationalist Party and later to Congress. Politically the one-time friends were foes.

Similarly MGR and Sivaji were the two matinee idols that ruled the film industry. They had fan clubs, which fought with each other and lobbies that were loyal to them. In personal life, MGR was present at every auspicious occasion in Sivaji’s house. Sivaji speaking on the 75th birthday of Karunanidhi, then Chief Minister recalled his early days as a struggler and the time when they shared food from the same plate. It was Karunanidhi who sent for Sivaji to come to Chennai and the rest is history. Addressing him as Kalaiganara, Sivaji reeled out the anecdotes of their past days. The stony Chief Minister who kept his eyes covered with his dark black glasses started weeping. He could not find words to speak.

When Karunanidhi came to place a wreath on Sivaji’s body, Kamala (Sivaji’s wife) asked him, "Was it not you who got us married 50 years ago?". Such was their relationship, which surmounted rivalries and egos. Jayalalitha, the present Chief Minister who is supposed to be not favourably disposed with the Sivaji family (after the disowned foster son’s arrest) would not turn up to pay her last respects was the general buzz. She should have given him full state honours and earmarked a Samadhi like MGR said the film industry. She turned up to pay her homage. She told those asking for a place for Sivaji Memorial that there was a court order, which was coming in her way. She would do it at the earliest. The thespian had no enemies and all those who were supposed to be his enemies were more of a creation of the gossip mills.

Kamal Hassan in the company of his mentor

An heir to Sivaji?
The media too often asked Sivaji Ganesan whether he saw any artiste as his heir. His cryptic reply was that in a field like acting, there could be no heir. The reason he gave was that by naming an actor as his successor was limiting that person’s talents. "He could be a better actor than me," pointed out Sivaji. But he always spoke in glowing terms about Kamal Hassan. They both struck a chord, which was more intimate than what Sivaji had with his son Prabhu. Kamal Hassan, like Sivaji, had started acting from childhood and had grown up the hard way. Both of them had no formal education but could stand up to literary personalities with the knowledge that they acquired.
After Muthal Mariyathai in 1985, Sivaji was out of the scene and it was the era of Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan. Till 1992, this veteran was largely out of the spotlight. When Kamal Hassan signed him up to play father in Thevar Maghan, did he come out of the shadows. The film brought back the spotlight and Sivaji was back. Many offers came in and he was the much in demand star. He even got the special jury mention at the national awards for this film. Kamal Hassan invited the thespian to see the film, which he felt, had something that this veteran would be appreciated for.

If it would have been the usual run-of-the-mill movie, Kamal Hassan would not have bothered to show it.

When Sivaji had lost a fortune running his own political outfit and his properties were pledged, it was Vetri Vizha, the first film under the banner of Sivaji Films to sign an outside hero that got him back his wealth. Sivaji Films had only Sivaji or Prabhu as their hero but for the first time they opened their doors to sign up Kamal Hassan. Later Rajanikant did Mannan for their banner. Sarika had started a documentary on Sivaji and used to record his interviews. Sivaji was the only guest who was present from South film industry at the closed-door wedding of Kamal Hassan and Sarika shows the closeness of the families.

With wife Kamala

Life without Sivaji
For the Chennai film industry to come to terms with a life without Sivaji will take time. Film journalists often called on him for a casual chat and a ready biryani. October 1 (his birthday) and May 1 (his wedding day) were the two days that film industry descended on the thespian’s house to wish him.

The honours that eluded him
The national awards was one that always remained elusive. He was honoured at the Afro Asian fest and given the best actor award by Egypt premier Nasser. 20th Century Fox bought the rights of Thillana Mohanambal, Washington Post called him the Clark Gable of India and Marlon Brando is on record praising Sivaji’s acting. Sivaji, tongue-in-cheek, used to say that it was only his country that did not recognise him as a good actor. France conferred on him the Chevalier title. In India he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and later given the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Dada Saheb Phalke award too came very late to him.

Sivaji and Screen
Seven years ago when he was the Chief Guest at the birthday party of Screen in Mumbai, the entire film industry ranging from Dev Anand to Amitabh Bachchan to the youngest hero trampled upon each other to take photos with this thespian. Later he was the chief guest at the first Screen-Videocon awards at Film City, Mumbai. He was given the Lifetime Achievement award at the first South Screen-Videocon awards in Chennai. When he was invited for a party in Mumbai, the film industry in Chennai could not understand why Bollywood was going gaga over Sivaji. When he was given the Lifetime Achievement award by Screen, the other media organisations who were running awards for decades together were taken aback and seeing the public response only did they too start getting their act together and began conferring on him the awards and considered him as Chief guest material.

Sivaji’s dramas staged in Mumbai were organised by Bharatkala Mandram, which was managed by Ranganathan (Screen’s printer and publisher) who was his pal. Affectionately called Mamaji, Ranganathan was a fatherly figure to the whole family. Screen photographer, R.M. Kumtakar had Sivaji’s photo portfolio and later it was given to the thespian’s son. Sivaji’s manager Pillai and the then editor of Screen, S. S.Pillai, were close friends. Every drama staged by Sivaji and his contacts with Bollywood were faithfully recorded by Screen.

Lata Mangeshkar with Sivaji’s wife Kamala and eldest son Ram Kumar at the thespian’s house in Chennai.

Lata Mangeshkar calls on Sivaji’s family
Even though Sivaji had very close contacts with the veterans of Mumbai film industry and even heroes like Anil Kapoor had contacts with Sivaji Films (many of the Kapoor films were remakes from Tamil, including Virasat) the closest was Lata Mangeshkar who used to call him Anna (brother) and stays in his house whenever she visits Chennai.

Sivaji had the habit of eating dove meat and it was Lata who requested him to give it up. Since then he stopped eating meat of any bird. His remark was "When the nightingale says then you can’t say no."

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha paying her last tribute to Sivaji Ganesan. Also seen are Prabhu and Vijaykant

Lata Mangeshkar flew in after two days and visited the house of the late thespian. She offered floral tributes to the ashes of the Sivaji and consoled Sivaji’s wife Kamala. Later while speaking to press, she said that among all her brothers, it was Sivaji who was the eldest and the dearest. She said that as soon as she got the news of her anna’s demise, she spoke to his eldest son Ram Kumar who advised her to come to Chennai two days later since there was a heavy crowd. "I will strongly recommend to the Union Government to confer upon anna the Bharat Ratna. He is the most deserving person," said Lata Mangeshkar who returned to Mumbai by the evening flight.A portrait of Sivaji done by Lata hangs in the drawing room of Sivaji’s house. Amitabh Bachchan, in a condolence letter sent to Sivaji’s actor-son Prabhu, expressed his grief on the death of an veteran whose films had a profound influence on him.

— Ayyappa Prasad