SHIVAJI GANESAN- JEWEL AMONG ACTORS

SHIVAJI GANESAN- JEWEL AMONG ACTORS

It was 1950s when Parasakthi picture was released. At that time I was studying at
Coimbatore. Crowds thronged to the theaters to see this picture. It was for one man
whose fire brand oration in Tamil that kept the crowd spell bound. The Picture ran for 2-years continuously.That Man is- Shivaji Ganesan – the name to reckon with in Film World)

Born in a poor family Ganesan did not study much. He worked in Drama troops in sundry
jobs. Attracted by Dravidian ideals he worked for Dravida Kazagam. This organization
believed that Hinduism is based on illogical superstitions, irrational and archaic ideas that are not relevant in the present day world. Many youngsters like Ganesan were attracted to this movement mainly to CN.Annadurai, M.Karunanidhi and EVR. Anna and MU.KA are brilliant Orators in Tamil.

Drama and Cinema are two wings of DK and they made full use of both to propagate
their ideology. Soon Anna and Mu.Ka found Ganesan a useful Artist. Anna saw the
drama in which Ganesan worn the mantle of Shivaji. He was so impressed with the role from that day onwards Ganesan was called Shivaji Ganesan.

It was Parasakthi that gave breakthrough for Shivaji. Added to the lyrics of Karunanidhi, Shivaji dominated the picture as restless youth who want to free the Society from doing cruelty to women in the name of God. His rendering the long lyrics-full of fire- of Karunanidhi that propelled him to Stardom instantaneously.
Similar Pictures appeared for few years but Ganesan soon found that such pictures have no feature, turned to character acting.

Now matured and refined he left the DK- later DMK also- to set his own path. This followed some memorable performances in the pictures. Shivaji Ganesan studied the stories deeply and involved in the character given to him and portrayed it true to life. Acting came to him spontaneously. As he progressed he reduced the long oration and converted into expressions.

Take the picture- Thillana Mohanambal – He turned into Nadeswara Vidwan- the way he held that instrument- the way his lip movement and bodily movements – all created lasting impressions to the crowd. No wonder that this picture became popular.

In Rajapart Rangadurai – Ganesan reflected the joys and pathos of a Drama Actor who found that time is changing to the disadvantage of Stage Acting.

In the mythological picture Karnan – His portrayal of Karnan brought dignity to that character. In Pasa Malar - subtle thread between brother and sister and the emotional relationship between them was well defined by Shivaji - It was a memorable performance.As he grew older his acting ability also grew and he readjusted himself.

In every picture he acted there were distinct stamp of Shivaji. He was compared with Marlon Brando. Be it a middle class Brahmin – Vietnam Veedu or Devar Magan Shivaji displayed varied talents. Four decades of acting and still retaining the power- Shivaji created a place in Indian cinema which cannot be fulfilled in the years to come. He was a simple man. Fame never corrupted him. Always punctual to the shooting, adjusting with young aspirants and helping them – Shivaji lived among them.
Cinema is a field many young people are aspiring and it is a good Career.

But you must be careful in chalking out a role for you- not necessarily acting. There are Institutes to train in all aspects of Theater. For example in States you can obtain diploma or degree in Theater. Syllabus runs like this: 1) A glimpse into the exiting world of theater from the point of audience, the actor and the man or woman behind the Screen. 2) An introduction to acting methods and exercises. 3) A lecture course surveying the history, theory and techniques of motion picture with emphasis on form, content and social impact of each medium.

Analysis:

Indian Cinema is fully matured and is attracting people from all walk of live. In 30s and 40s Actors and Actresses were frowned by the Society. With the advent of TV educated people enter this line boldly and find useful employment- both full time and part time. Apart from acting there are other fields like News Reading,Anchoring, Voice Substitution etc need talented people.

· Luck plays initial part in entering Cinema field.
· Once entered talent substitute to retain the place.
· Other fields like Photography, Editing, Graphics are open.

R.Jagannathan.