He was one of the biggest names in Tamil cinema.
The actor’s career spanned close to five decades, during which he acted in 288 films.
Childhood photos of actors go viral on the internet often, making people guess who they are. Recently, one such photo has gone viral. Can you guess who it is? If you couldn’t take a guess, you will be surprised to know it is none other than former South actor Sivaji Ganesan. He was known for his versatility and the variety of roles he played on screen. He was given the Tamil nickname Nadigar Thilagam, which means the ‘pride of actors.’ His career spanned close to five decades, during which he acted in 288 films. These films were in various languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Sivaji Ganesan is the only Tamil actor to have played the lead role in over 250 films.
Sivaji Ganesan was renowned for his incredible acting in Indian cinema. Many believe no one could watch his performances without being amazed. In 1960, he became the first Indian actor to win a Best Actor award at an International film festival. He won this award at the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo, Egypt. Many leading South actors have stated that their acting was influenced by Ganesan.
In 1997, Ganesan was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour for films in India. He was also the first Indian actor to be made a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In addition, he received the National Film Award (Special Jury), four Filmfare Awards South, and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Ganesan was one of the three biggest names of Tamil cinema, along with MG Ramachandran and Gemini Ganesan. While Gemini Ganesan was known for his romantic films and MG Ramachandran was popular as an action hero, Sivaji Ganesan excelled in dramatic films. Ganesan is remembered as an iconic figure in Tamil cinema. Upon his death, The Los Angeles Times described him as ‘the Marlon Brando of South Indian film industry.’
Seeing his childhood photo go viral reminds us of his remarkable journey and lasting impact on Indian cinema.