Prabhu…Adapting to a new cine world

G. Prabhu, the son of the legendary Sivaji Ganesan, remains an under-utilised actor in Tamil cinema.

Many know that he made his debut as a villain in Sivaji Ganesan’s 1981 film, Sangili, but few know that he was involved in film-making for much longer. His uncle, VC Guhanathan, convinced Sivaji Ganesan to allow Prabhu to work as part of the team at Sivaji Productions. Guhanathan, however, was insistent that Prabhu should start right from the bottom by carrying chairs to senior artists. In 1978, Prabhu was given the opportunity to work as assistant production manager for his father’s 200^th film, Trisoolam.

When CV Raajendran signed Prabhu on for his role in Sangili, it was for a very small but significant role, but even before the release of Sangili, Prabhu had been signed on for 6 films, including Adhisaya Pirabigal and his first hit film, Kozhi Koovuthu (the film that featured the song Anneh Anneh) which marked the directorial debut of Illaiyaraja’s brother, Gangaiamaren.

Initially sharing the screen with his father in many films, his solo ventures like Kozhi Koovuthu and Soorukottai Singakutty established for him his own loyal fan base.

After only 30 films, the offers dwindled and Prabhu was forced to take a break and reassess his career. He returned with a new resolve to choose quality over quantity and returned with a bang in Aaruvadai Naall which marked the directorial debut of GM Kumar, followed closely by Manivannan’s Paalaivana Rojakkal.

The late 1980 saw him play significant roles like Guru Sishyan with Rajinikanth, Vettri Vizha with Kamalhaasan and Maniratnam’s Agni Ntachathiram and En Thangachi Padichava, the film that marked the first solo directorial od P. Vasu.

The success of En Thangachi Padichava saw Prabhu collaborate with more films with P. Vasu, peaking with the 1991 film, Chinna Thambi, which not only had a magnificent run, but also won for Prabhu the Tamil Nadu Best Actor award. The film had a 356-day run and remains one of the biggest hits of Prabhu’s film career.

In the 1990s, after the release of Panchalankurichi, Prabhu decided to accept supporting roles and played a variety of such role, including his role opposite Jyothika in P. Vasu’s Chandramukhi, the biggest hit of his career.

Prabhu’s 200^th film was the 2016 film Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum, which was produced by his nephew, Dushyanth Ramkumar and featured Kamalhaasan in a guest role. This film also marked the Tamil debut of Kalidas Jayaram.

Prabhu will next be seen in Ajithkumar’s Good, Bad, Ugly.

While Wikipedia lists Prabhu’s birthday as 27 December, the Sigaram.Net team recognize 31 December as Prabhu’s birthday and wish to celebrate the occasion with a special YouTube playlist.