Friday, October 1, marks the 93rd birth anniversary of late actor Sivaji Ganesan, and Google has paid tribute to the legendary thespian by coming up with a Doodle on him. Bengaluru-based artist Noopur Rajesh Choksi has created the Doodle, Google noted.
Actor Vikram Prabhu, the ace actor's grandson, was among those who shared the Doodle on Twitter. “Here is the #Googledoodle honouring the Legendary #SivajiGanesan on his 93rd birthday. Appreciate the people from Google India and their guest artist Noopur Rajesh Choksi for the doodle art. Another proud moment! Love him and miss him more every year,” Prabhu said in his post.
Ganesan was born on October 1, 1928, as Ganesamoorthy in Villupuram in Madras Presidency (present-day Tamil Nadu) of what was then the British India. At the age of just seven, he left his home to join a theatre group. In December 1945, Ganesamoorthy portrayed Maratha ruler Shivaji in a play titled “Shivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam.” Such iconic was his performance that the name stuck, and Ganesamoorthy earned the moniker of “Sivaji,” being known by that name for the rest of his life.
{{/usCountry}}Ganesan was born on October 1, 1928, as Ganesamoorthy in Villupuram in Madras Presidency (present-day Tamil Nadu) of what was then the British India. At the age of just seven, he left his home to join a theatre group. In December 1945, Ganesamoorthy portrayed Maratha ruler Shivaji in a play titled “Shivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam.” Such iconic was his performance that the name stuck, and Ganesamoorthy earned the moniker of “Sivaji,” being known by that name for the rest of his life.
{{/usCountry}}Though he was mainly active in Tamil cinema, where he made his debut in 1952's “Parasakthi,” Ganesan appeared in nearly 300 films, including those in languages such as Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. In a career that spanned nearly five decades, he won several awards, and was the first Indian actor to win a Best Actor award at an international film festival (Afro-Asian Film Festival in Cairo, Egypt), winning for his performance in 1960's “Veerapandiya Kattabomman.”
Ganesan, who also dabbled in politics, was described by the Los Angeles Times as the “Marlon Brando of south India's film industry.” He passed away on July 21, 2001, at the age of 72.