DhooL.com Song Of The Day

Song of the Day # 968

From: bb on: Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:45 pm 

The Roar of the Lion

http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/968.html

- Saravanan writes:





I often sit back and think, “I wish I’d done that,” and find out later that I already have!”
- Richard Harris

October 1 is always special for us as it marks the birthday of the great Nadigar Thilakam. This year it is all the more special as the thespian would have turned 80 had he remained amidst us. Of course, he lives on in our memories through the infinite unforgettable roles that he donned, and therefore celebrate we must. The Sivaji Prabhu Charities Trust is organizing a grand function in Chennai to be graced by the Chief Minister, himself a great fan of Sivaji. K.R. Vijaya, Sarojadevi, Aroordas, T.K. Ramamoorthi, Sachchu and ‘Film News’ Anandan are to be honoured with Sivaji Ganesan Memorial Awards. Sivakumar and Vairamuthu are slated to speak on the actor nonpareil. On his part, Y.G. Mahendran, another ardent fan of Sivaji, will be honouring Vyjayanthimala, K.R. Vijaya and Sarojadevi with Sivaji Awards of Excellence and under the aegis of his Y Gee Melody Makers will be presenting an evening of immortal songs of Sivaji with a special tribute to late director P. Madhavan, with whom Sivaji worked in 17 movies.

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Let us in dhool celebrate the occasion with a special SOTD.

Listen to the thespian roar as the mighty Chatrapati Shivaji in the movie ‘raman eththanai ramanadi’ (1970/ Arun Prasad Movies)


Circa 1946. In the aftermath of NSK’s conviction, S.V. Sahasranamam took over the charge of his drama troupe. Unhappy at this, K.R. Ramasami broke away from the company with the intention of forming his own troupe, and collecting a few loyalists, went to Kanchipuram. Among those who chose to throw in their lot with KRR was the talented 18-year old Vizhuppuram Chinnaiah Ganesan. The ever hospitable Annadurai found them accommodation in the premises of ‘Draavida Naadu’. In his autobiography, Sivaji recounts what happened thereafter.

Annadurai was engaged at that time with the organization of the 7th Conference of the Movement for Self-Respect. And he wrote a play titled ‘sivaji kaNda hindu raajiyam’ to be staged during the conference. The play was about the hurdles Chatrapati Shivaji had to face on account of his caste before he could ascend the throne. As his wont, Annadurai wrote the play at one stretch and Ganesan collected the papers, numbered the pages in order and filed them.

It was then destiny smiled Ganesan’s way. With barely a week remaining for the conference, MGR, who was to play the role of Shivaji, backed out from the project without any warning. A beleaguered Annadurai’s gaze fell on Ganesan, and he asked him if he could enact the role. Though Ganesan demurred, Annadurai managed to convince him and gave him the 90-page dialogue file. He told Ganesan that he was going home, and wanted Ganesan to read the script before he returned in the evening.

This was around 11 in the forenoon. Anna returned with a few others at around 6 in the evening and asked Ganesan if he had read the script. Ganesan requested Anna to be seated and to the amazement of all those present, enacted the whole play, mouthing the 90-page dialogues in fiery splendor. It was a great moment for the young actor when Annadurai hugged him in sheer joy. The play was a huge success.

Periyaar watched the play and was voluble in his admiration. He said that Anna had encapsulated in a single play the concepts that would take 10 such conferences for him to put across to the public. He then enquired about the youngster who acted as Shivaji, and when Ganesan was brought to him, with his hands raised in benediction, the leader decalred simply, ‘nee thaan ganEsanaa? indRu mudhal nee sivaaji!’ Thus the overwhelmed youngster was transformed from V.C. Ganesan to “Sivaji” Ganesan. The rest, as they say, is a history that needs no recapitulation.

Many years later, Sivaji Ganesan enacted the same sequence for a scene in P. Madhavan’s ‘raman eththanai ramanadi’, in which he played a rustic bumpkin who rises to become a sophisticated movie actor.



In 1973, Sivaji appeared again as Chatrapati Shivaji in the Telugu movie ‘bhakhta tukaram’ (Anjali Pictures Combines), in which Nageswara Rao acted as Tukaram.

And in 1974, when Maharashtra was celebrating the tercentenary of Chatrapati Shivaji’s coronation, T.S. Narayanaswami approached Sivaji Ganesan on behalf of Bombay Doordarshan and told him of their desire to make a short film on great Maratha King with Sivaji Ganesan playing the role. The delighted thespian came forward to finance the entire project, and got Thanjaivanan to write the dialogues. This movie focused on Shivaji’s coronation and his thanksgiving speech. The short movie was telecast in Tamil in Bombay Doordarshan, and thereafter was telecast in the Doordarshan Kendras of Delhi, Calcutta and Madras.

Sivaji Ganesan was a major donor when funds were solicited for the erection of the famous Shivaji statue in Bombay.

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Sivaji Ganesan being interviewed by Meena:

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sivaji-interview-pt-1-by-meena-for-avms-endrum-cinema/3994169779

- Other Sivaji specials in SOTD are:
Samrat Asokan Drama from annaiyin aaNai: http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/309.html
sathiyavan savithri koothu from navarathri: http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/688.html

Discussion Page in DhooL on this Song

http://www.dhool.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7716