Having seen the Tamil conference being conducted, I want to write my thoughts about the person who made the best impression on me about tamil. With out any doubt he has the best dialogue delivery among all the actors I have seen. Prob Morgan Free man will come close. He is my father's favorite actor and was one the main reason I was attracted to cinema. His portrayal of 9 different characters in Navarathri was some thing special. I have grown up seeing many of his movies. Its none other than Legend Siavji Ganesan.
I am most careful when I mention "the best actor in Tamil film". Though it would be Sivaji in my book, I can't decide for anyone else who it was, or will ever be. Fans are torn between the realistic portrayal of Kamal and his peers, and Sivaji and performers at the time of his peak. There are those who dismiss the stage-like exaggerated performance so abundant in Tamil cinema before the eighties, while there are just as many (probably more) who revere it. The latter will appreciate Sivaji (unless they are still two bickering blocks, another being the backers of MGR), while the former are quite in unity (some grudgingly so) in admitting about Kamal Hassan's superior performance.
There used to be a time when Sivaji's name was associated with overacting. Here was his reaction to it:
"What is acting? It means doing something that is not natural. So then where is the question of overacting? When your mother dies, what do you do? You shout Amma and cry, don't you? Your instant reaction is to cry out loud. Not sit quietly covering your eyes with your hands. That's exactly what I do in my films."
Overacting has been one thing that the legend of Tamil cinema has been often accused of. Even you might have heard such a thing from someone or might have even thought so yourself. It is not really surprising that many of today’s youngsters and those accustomed to new age cinema find Sivaji Ganesan as one who went overboard with his expressions. It is a classical example of the generation gap, the present not being able to digest or accept what was considered great in the past. There can be no two opinions about the fact that Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan is a legend. But there are many who see chinks in that legacy. I believe it is a case of not being able to understand the great man and the times that he was part of.
Coming from a theater background (he acquired the title Sivaji from theater), expressing in a very pronounced manner came naturally to him. Being subtle was not the flavor of those days and if you watch cinema of the early Sivaji era, you will see that what many call overacting now was the norm in those days. Cinema had not evolved enough to accommodate subtle expressions.
The greatness of Sivaji Ganesan comes to light when we look at the range of roles that he has done in his career and the range of styles that he adopted in each of his movies. Not many actors of our times have shown the courage that he has. To do a full fledged hateful negative role while you are still a leading hero takes a lot of confidence and Sivaji Ganesan showed that in Andha Naal. Actors of our times have shown a liking to the negative role, but not the totally despicable type. Even if they have, they have also chosen to have the security of playing a double role with one character being a do-gooder. Andha Naal had Sivaji Ganesan as a completely unscrupulous person who would not even stop short of treason to make money. His detractors (though few and oblivious of his greatness) should take a look at this performance. They also should take a look at Uthama Puthiran where one can see upon close observation, a striking similarity to Rajnikanth’s famous brisk walk.
And if any of you still doubt whether the great man was overdoing it, then take a look at some of his films in the 90s. Cinema had evolved and he had understood the change. His performance in Thevar Magan must count as one of the finest in Tamil cinema, please go back and see the scene where he and Kamal Haasan talk in the courtyard, discussing about the hotel that Kamal proposes to build in the city. Such performances can come only from an actor of brilliance of the highest order, only a true genius can adjust to changing times and Sivaji Ganesan was one. Kamal Had stated With out Sivaji it would have been just Magan and not Devar Magan.
Once the famous journalist and cartoonist Madan was asked, ‘Who is the better actor, Marlon Brando or Sivaji Ganesan?’ He said, ‘Marlon Brando is an actor who delivers to perfection what the director asks of him but Sivaji Ganesan used to do more than just that, he used to analyze and add to the character and performance. So, Sivaji is greater.' Do we need to say more? Another interesting fact is that in a survey conducted long back it was found that Sivaji Ganesan had a greater female fan following than the great M.G.R. Not because he always did emotional family subjects, but because they liked his style. If anyone still feels that the great man did more than what was required of him, then they are in the clutches of ignorance. Perceptions change with time. What was right then need not necessarily be right now and what we celebrate as acts of genius today may be ridiculed upon tomorrow. Wonder how youngsters thirty years from now will react to the patent star mannerisms, intro songs and one liners that we enjoy so much at present. The greatness of Sivaji Ganesan must never be subject to scrutiny. Seldom do men like him grace the screen.
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