In a career that spanned close to five decades, he had acted in 283 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.His eidetic memory helped him remember his scripts at a glance.
He was well known for his versatility and variety of roles depicted on screen,which gave him also the Tamil honorific name Nadigar Thilagam. The minute Sivaji saab’s elder son called me, I rushed to sing the song.Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian stage, and film actor who was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. I sang for the first time for Ilaiyaraaja in the film that starred Sivaji saab’s younger son Prabhu in the film ‘Anand’. “Whenever he came to Mumbai, he used to ask me to sing my Marathi devotional Ghanshyam sundara. He used to call her youngest sister Usha, a cat. There shall never be another person like him. When I heard about his death, I felt something had been lost irrevocably. “I think he was hospitalised on the same evening. Then just two days before his death, my nephew Yogesh and I were trying Sivaji saab’s number. “He had rung me up in London when I had received the Bharat Ratna (in 2001). I told my sister Meena we must visit Sivaji saab when we return from London. You must go and see him or else you’ll miss the chance.’ The same night I left for London. When Raja (Ilaiyaraaja) was here I inquired about Sivaji saab’s health. But was unable to do so because of ill health. “I was supposed to go to Chennai for the recording. I recorded a song for Ilaiyaraaja on May 17 in Mumbai. I’ll always regret the fact that I couldn’t meet him before his death. “When there was a celebration for my silver jubilee year in the film industry, he came to Mumbai, presented me with a Saraswati idol, a gold chain and a special garland of flowers that he had brought all the way from Chennai to Mumbai which he put around my neck in my house. It remains one of my favourite pieces of jewellery which I wear quite often.”Īfter the incident, she stopped expressing admiration for anything in his house. “He immediately told his Kamala Amma to take off the necklace and give it to me. I chattily expressed admiration for the ‘nauratna’ necklace that his wife was wearing. And such humility! You can’t imagine how many things he has gifted me. There has never been a star like him in the south. He knew enough Hindi to communicate that love. Everyone including his two sons and their wives stayed in a sprawling home.” He completely believed in the joint-family system. He kept scolding my sister Meena until her daughter Rachna was married. He was a very orthodox man just like my father. Sivaji saab also has two daughters, both married at an early age. “The younger son Prabhu is a film actor like his father.
SIVAJI GANESAN HITS PROFESSIONAL
The younger brother used to look after his entire professional interests. He felt he had suffered irrevocable loss. The death of Sivaji’s younger brother shattered him. “All three brothers – Sivaji saab’s elder brother, Sivaji and his younger brother – lived together under the same roof. She was like a Goddess to the entire household. While his father lived in the village, his mother lived with him. Asha and I had gone to Chennai together when his mother died. Then the minute he returned for the day, he would inquire about me. Whenever I stayed in his house he left instructions before leaving to shoot about which chutney I should be served with the dosa.
She said that the two shared a rare bond. Even if I forgot to send him a rakhi, he’d never forget his Diwali ritual.” I was never surprised by his largesse because I was his sister. Every Diwali, unfailingly, he sent clothes for every member of the Mangeshkar family. Till the end, he was a brilliant performer. The last time I saw him was in ‘Thevar Magan’ (released in 1992). He would send prints of films, especially for me to see in Mumbai. “I thought he was awesome in all his Tamil films that I’ve seen. His entire family dotes on me.”Īs artistes, they both loved each other’s works, she said. Though he wasn’t keeping well for quite some time, he came personally or sent his daughter to take me home. But a visit and a meal at his place was a must. “After he deconstructed the back portion of his home, I had to stay in a hotel in Chennai. When he returned from the US, he came straight to our house. My mother took him to her prayer room, did his aarti, offered him prasad, and a gold chain. “Once he came to Mumbai en route to the US. Before every play of his in Mumbai, my mother sent Sivaji saab soup which we siblings would happily take to him. “My mother noticed how physically strenuous it was for him to emote on stage. She also said that he used to visit Mumbai for his theatre plays. Then after 10-12 days of his overwhelming hospitality in Chennai, we returned to Mumbai.” He screened one of his new Tamil films for us. “Only after this incident, we became really thick.
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