Black Day for Indian Cinema – 21 July 2001

Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan breathed his last at 19h45 on 21 July 2001, bringing an end to a remarkable life of a self-made man whose command of the Tamil language and his ability to transform his acting styles remain unmatched.

The recent death of S. Janaki has reignited the deeply embedded condescension with which many Indians view the south of India, its people and its artists. Just as Janaki – who sang 48 000 songs in 20 languages – was known as the nightingale of the south – not nightingale of India, Sivaji Ganesan was only seen as an actor somewhere in the south.

While Sivaji Ganesan became the first actor to win the Best Actor award at an International Film Festival (for his role in the 1960 film Veerapaandiya Kattabomman), the first Indian actor to win the Chevalier Award from the Government of France, the first Indian actor to be invited to the United States by President John F Kennedy, the first actor to be made Honorary member of an American city and the first Indian actor to play nine different roles – all these achievements were not enough to get him recognition from his own government. The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award was awarded to him by the Indian Government after the French Government honoured him with the Chevalier Award.

Sivaji Ganesan had a photographic memory. He was also humble, approachable, warm and loving. He was never late for shooting in his entire career of almost 50 years and he was not the actor who shot his scene and then left. Instead, he would wait until the day’s shoot was over, supporting and guiding his co-artists.

Sivaji Ganesan’s acting style changed as the face of cinema changed. His early films indicated styles that emanated from the stage. His roles in his films in the 1970s showed an amazing ability to adapt to modern trends, while his later roles in films like Bharathiraja’s Mudhal Mariyaadhai and Bharathan’s Thevar Magan showed an ease of adapting to modern sensibilities that shocked even his harshest critics.

On this day, let us remember the rich legacy left behind by this giant – A man who helped to create a foundation on which modern actors built and moulded their careers.

Click on the links below to read our other articles on Sivaji Ganesan.

Remembering Indian Cinema’s Irreplaceable Gem: Sivaji Ganesan

Sivaji Ganesan’s birthday special

Remembering Sivaji Ganesan on his 97th Birth Anniversary