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Could someone tell me the name of the movie where Sivaji has the problem of day-dreaming, he gets married to JJ, etc? I think there's Cho in this movie too! I know my description is insufficient, but I have a feeling we have fans here who can nail it rightaway! :P
Ah, that should be Anbai Thedi, discussed here sometimes back. Not the best of Muktha/NT combination. They tried to retell Thavaputhalvan story but was not that successful. Good songs, and NT has nothing extra to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by m_23_bayarea
Written by Srikumar:
Thanks Srikumar
What "Pillaiyaar Chuzhi" is for Letters (Yezhuththu), Sivaji Ganesan is for acting. Without touching him or starting with him the dictionary of acting won't get completed. Actor Raj Kapoor has earned for himself respect and recognition in world countries. Like that among our South Indian actors Sivaji Ganesan has done us proud by his world level popularity. Wherever Tamils live there the name of Sivaji Ganesan has become the household word for them.
It is an 100% established fact that Sivaji has accomplished the rare feat or achievement of committing his entire life for the sake of the art of acting!
Among the world famous actors, each of them has an individuating, unique style and method of his own in acting. But we can see in the one single actor Sivaji, all these different styles and talents are put together that he is able to portray in his acting any such particular style in the most perfect manner possible. If we try to scan his acting abilities with the help of a computer, we would be greatly startled and astonished. Even Steven Spielberg who created the Dino through computer would remain helpless had he been entrusted with the assignment of scanning Sivaji's acting abilities in a computer. To explain and criticise Sivaji's acting ability one is expected to be endowed with special talents.
May be the number of films acted by Sivaji are more than 300. But the number of character roles and kinds of 'abhinayas' portrayed in those films by Sivaji are really countless and innumerable! It would make anyone wonder whether his physical features were especially created for the express purpose of acting! He has got such an unbelievable and beautiful type of cinematic facial shape and get-up that one could film his facial features in all the 360 degree angles with equal beauty, charm and captivating enchantment. His eyes - if we look at them at close range,would seem as if prominently standing out and flashing forth brightness. His voice - would be roaring like lion! At the same time it (his voice) is also capable of bringing out the breezy softness of feminine nicety, whenever it is required.
From his boyhood to his youth he has put on different feminine get-ups and attires and has acted in the vastly different roles of national and world famous women characters! He has acted in the character role of Noor Jahaan as well as that of Mumtaj. The filmi characters of the popular film "Manohara" like the hero Manoharan, his mother Pathmavathi, father Purushoththaman, Vasantha Senai, her son 'asadan' Vasanthan---all these different character roles have been acted in perfect manner on different occasions by the single actor Sivaji in "Manohara" stage drama!
The quality of acting that Sivaji had shown in his performance in the feminine role of Padmavathi in "Manaohara" drama has not been matched even by such a great and fine actress like Kannamba who did that role in the film "Manohara", some critics say!. That's the unique feat of Sivaji. That feminine nicety that marked it's stamp in his acting in dramas didn't part ways with Sivaji later during his cinematic career too. Whenever he acted in such soft character roles in cinema, those past, stage experiences of having acted in feminine roles helped him a lot. In the film "Theiva Mahan", the second son Vijayan's style of walking, his mannerisms, abhinayas etc. are an example for this. Those characters of Puranas and epics as were depicted in books in the form of writing, that of photos and paintings were all shown before our very eyes when Sivaji acted in such roles in films which remains one of his great achievements. Apart from these he has accomplished yet another great feat by way of registering in the minds of the audiences with the never-dying memories of such unforgettable, popular character roles like the following : Gunasekaran in "Parasakthi", Muththaiyan in "Kalvanin Kaathali", Sengoden in "Makkalai Petra Maharaasi", Parthiban and Vikraman (double roles) in "Uththama Puththiran", Rengan in "Padikkaatha Methai" Kannaiyan in " "Bhagappirivinai", Raja Sekar in "Paasa Malar", Sikkal Shanmuga Sundaram in "Thillana Mohanambal", Shankar, Kannan, Vijayan (triple roles) in "Theiva Mahan", Bharath in "Sivantha Mann", Prestige Padmaba Iyer in "Vietnam Veedu", Mookkaiya Servai in "Pattikkaadaa Pattinamaa", Barrister Rajni Kaanth in "Gouravam" etc., etc.
When acting in extreme type of emotive scenes the eyes of Sivaji would seem reddish in colour. In colour films this would be seen in a crystal clear manner. That's not because of the application of any ointment. Whenever Sivaji acts emotionally or delivers dialogue ferociously or shows vigorous facial expressions, instantly his eyes would turn reddish automatically. When he comes back to normalcy his eyes would also turn to normal colour.
When we talk about 'eyes', the different character roles Sivaji has done in Purana films come to our memory. There is a saying that our Gods always keep their eyes open. Neither they would wink their eyes nor sleep, it is said so. In the film "Thiruvilaiyaadal" Sivaji who has acted as Siva Peruman has in none of the scenes winked his eyes! For us even to take note of that point while seeing the film becomes a strenuous job.
If we join our friends in the playful game of trying to keep our eyes wide open for a long time, without doing any winking, then tears would naturally fill in our eyes with some irritating sensation. But putting on heavy costumes and ornaments on the body, speaking long dialogues in the midst of eye-blinding bright lights during film-shooting and at the same time keeping the eyes wide open without closing them even for a fraction of a second is not an easy job indeed! But Sivaji has managed it very easily. Not only that. While he was dancing in the 'Ruthra Thaandavaa' scene in the film he didn't at all wink his eyes. Now one could understand how great a trouble and pain Sivaji might have taken for doing that role with that much perfection and grammar!
As said above, in cinema, Sivaji has accomplished so many number of great feats. One of them is that he has, more than any other actor, acted in countless number of close-up shots in multi-different scenes. He has given infinite variety of expressions during such close-up shots. To shoot such remarkable close-ups of Sivaji it is a pre-requsite that the cameraman also has special abilities and creative tastes!
To-day there has been so many novel, technical advancements that the modern negative film has got special qualities that bright lighting during shooting won't hurt either the artists' eyes or body, nowadays. 25 years back such advancements were not there. There was only one type of film then. That needed too much lighting for shooting. Without make-up one can not withstand the effects of such lighting.
If such was the condition inside the studio sets in those days, the situation at out-door shooting locations would be much more horrible. In the broad day-light and at the peak hours of the burning sun one had to face the most unbearable heat-waves! The reflectors used for shooting on such hot days made the worse things worst! It was under such grim and hard conditions that Sivaji had to do most of his films during his peak days in cinema!
The 'Pillaiyar Chuzhi' for Sivaji's acting was drawn by a 'theru kooththu' drama (folk drama) titled "Veera Pandia Kattabomman". Only on seeing that he developed a craze for acting and joined 'Boys Company', a popular drama troupe! Even after his entry into cinema and even while his popularity was going on growing day by day, he didn't forget 'Kattabomman'. Through his 'Sivaji Nadaka Mandram' he enacted that drama on stage for 100 times! Even many more times it could have been enacted had not his throat got hurt and started bleeding because of his ferocious dialogue delivery. While he was acting in the climax scene he delivered emotional dialogue against Banerman, he bleeded and fell unconscious! All were shocked. It was that film enacted by him taking that much serious risks that fetched him the "Best Actor Award" at the Afro-Asian Cinema Festival at Cairo, Egypt in the year 1960! He was the first Indian actor to get such a Foreign Award.
In "Neethi" film excepting a single song scene he was wearing pant and shirt in the same colour throughout the film. He didn't bother about his image and all. Like that in the matter of continuity in costumes also his memory power is remarkable! Having acted wearing a particular dress in a scene and during when the shooting resumes after a gap of a number of days, even when the costumer forgetds the continuity in costume matter Sivaji won't forget that and he would ask for the right dress to wear.
By the help of the mere photographs (stills) one could clearly find out and name the different films of Sivaji. He is that much careful to change his make-up and overall get-up from film to film! To-day many leading artists are reluctant to wear wigs. Even those with slight baldness near forehead, try to manage without wig by pulling up the hair from the back portion of their head towards the front-side! But Sivaji inspite of his having beautiful, curled, original hair in most of his films he has used wigs. He himself applies finishing touches to his moustache and eyebrows!
For the role of Appar in "Thiruvarutchelvar" he has spent three hours daily for his exclusive make-up. To wipe it out an hour. To act in that role he has considerably reduced the quantity of in-taking food in order to make his body a little more lean.
In "Theiva Mahan" Sivaji has acted in the dual roles of father and son with a face that looks as if charred by fire. Whenever removing that make-up after the day's shooting his face's original skin also got stripped out here and there. After the regrowth of skin again the same make-up and same pain-taking!
In the beginning Sivaji exhibited his exceptional ability in dialogue delivery while he was acting in films penned by such towering personalities like Kalaignar Mu. Karunanidhi, Sakthi T.K.Krishnasamy, A.P.Nagarajan and so on. Afterwards Sivaji acted in films which gave importance to facial expressions. Those were films with sound story value.
Meritorious Qualities :
1) Modesty.
2) Punctuality.
3) Make-up Aptness and Physical Fitness that suit with 100% exactness any sort of role from Prince to Beggar and the Rugged Character to the Cultured Elite!
4) Infinite Veriety In Acting And Dialogue -Delivery - An Unreachable Feat by any other World Level Actor.
Unique Achievment: The No 1 ranked Actor the World has ever seen.
Ambition: Wants to act until the last breath of life and he would be even more happy, he once said, should his physical existence comes to an end while acting.
Monsoon Journal June 15, 2009
The Legends of Indian Cinema - Sivaji Ganesan
Reviewed By: Siva Sivapragasam
The Profile of A Cinematic Icon Nearly Seventy years ago, a little boy seven years old and bearing the name Villupuram Chinnasamy Ganesan ran away from his home to join a Drama Company later to make his debut in South Indian Cinema for well over a half a century. The little boy was no other than Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan, who strode the Tamil Cinema for over fifty years like a colossus and whose film career culminated with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in India for an artiste for his contribution to the film industry in his country. In his book “Sivaji Ganesan”, author Theodore Baskaran has traced the meteoric rise of this legendary actor from his life on stage, his first film Parasakthi and the final countdown of his film career. Beginning his early days in Drama, the book follows Sivaji’s early essays in Cinema, his days of glory as a star, the manner in which he acquired power to control his career and his rivalry with MGR, both on and off screen.The decades of his domination on the South Indian screen and the culmination of his film career with the winning of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award form part of the book. The book also takes the reader to his early days with the Dravida Munnetra Kalagham, his association with Periyar, C.N. Annathurai and present Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi. It also portrays his entry into politics and his failure in this field. Sivaji was groomed to be an actor and not fitted for a politician. Sivaji Ganesan was more than a cinematic star. He was an icon. His life portrayed and reflected the changing face of India. He exhibited this through his films. From Parasakthi to Kattabomman, from Paasamalar to Karnan, from Gauravam to Thangapathakkam Sivaji’s exceptionally excellent portrayals reflected the changing times and different moods of moving India. Whereas MGR carved for himself a different role in Politics away from Cinema, Sivaji remained in the cinematic field right to the end. When Wisdom Tree Publishers began a series of books on the Legends of Cinema, Sivaji was an obvious choice. At the ceremonial opening of his statue on the Marina Beach in Chennai, even Chief Minister Karunanidhi publicly admitted “Enathu uraihalluku uir koduththavar Sivaji”(Sivaji gave life to my dialogues”) Kamalahaasan went one step further when he stated that “The Indian Tamil Cinema could be divided into two periods - The one before Sivaji Ganesan and the other after Sivaji Ganesan.” His eminence in Tamil Cinema was so electrifying that the great Cinema Music poet Kannathasan acknowledged that there was no Tamilian who had not been influenced by his screen persona. The book portrays the life of the actor from his early beginnings drowned in poverty and how he rose to the dizzying heights of glory. The book is certainly a wealth of understanding the great actor and an inside perspective of his life. Theodore Baskaran’s story of Sivaji is the profile of a cinematic icon and a book worth reading from the beginning to the end. The book is handy in size to handle and pictorially represented with rare photos of the highlights of Sivaji’s career.
(The Book is Published by Wisdom Tree, India and will be soon available to Canadian readers at Murugan Book Depot, Ellesmere & Midland, Scarborough - Tel 416 285 9118) Book Review The Legends of Indian Cinema - Sivaji Ganesan
Thanks Groucho! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by groucho070
I've seen this movie long time back and really liked it... I have been trying to get it online, but unsuccessful so far! :cry:
Welcome, bay. I got DVD of it (double combo with Thavaputhalvan, I think). Why not get one, or get someone to buy it for you? Though its not great, it still has NT in fine form.
Thanks Bala [abkh] for that articles.
But going through Srikumar's article, I have a feeling that many of the things mentioned by him seems to have been taken from our Forum Hub postings, compiled and written as one single post. Or is it my imagination?
Regards
Eventhouhg 'Anbai Thedi' is not a special one, but not a bad film, worth to watch for single or multiple times.Quote:
Originally Posted by m_23_bayarea
It have some wonderful songs like...
MSV's different type of compo.... 'புத்திகெட்ட பொண்ணு ஒண்ணு சுத்துதடி என்னையே' in which NT and JJ are in peculier costumes.
and a beautiful melody duet of 'சித்திர மண்டபத்தில் சில முத்துக்கள் கொட்டிவைத்தேன்' by TMS and JJ, with nice picturisation at Krishnarajasagar Dam and other places, in which NT and JJ are so beautiful. Eyecatch camera work by N.Balakrishnan, the one who done cinematography for Sivandha Mann, Idhayak Kani, Thiyagam etc.
PR: your review on Kathavaraayan reminds me of good old days when we had such lovely (!!!) movies on DD. Remember seeing this movie on DD about 25 or something odd years ago and the only thing I remember is kaathavarayan's mother (or was it someone else???) saying " kaNNE kaathavaraaya".... :)
ராகவேந்தர் சார்,Quote:
Originally Posted by RAGHAVENDRA
தங்களின் ஆதங்கம் எண்ணற்ற சிவாஜி ரசிகர்களின் பிரதிபலிப்பாக இருக்கிறது. சென்னையில் நடிகர்திலகத்தின் படங்களை திரையரங்குகளில் காண முடியாமல் போனதற்கு முக்கிய காரணமாக நான் நினைப்பது, பழைய படங்களின் புகலிடங்களாக விளங்கி வந்த பழம்பெரும் திரையரங்குகள் பெரும்பாலானவை (கிட்டத்தட்ட அனைத்துமே கூட) மூடப்பட்டு, இடிக்கப்பட்டு அவை குடியிருப்பு வளாகங்களாகவோ, வணிக வளாகங்களாகவோ, வர்த்தக நிறுவனங்களின் அலுவலகங்களாகவோ மாறிப்போனதுதான் என்பது என் எண்ணம். பழைய திரைப்படங்களைக் காண விரும்புவோர்க்கு, அவர்கள் வசதிக்கேற்றாற்போன்ற கட்டணத்தில் இயங்கி வந்த அத்திரையரங்குகள் மறைந்து, தற்போது ஏகப்பட்ட நவீன வசதிகளுடன் பழைய படங்களால் எட்ட முடியாத அபரிமிதமான கட்டணங்களோடு கூடிய அரங்குகள் மட்டுமே காணப்படுகின்றன. அவையனைத்தும் புதிய திரைப்படங்களால் ஆக்ரமித்துக்கொள்ளப்படுவதுடன், கட்டணங்களோ பழைய படங்களைக்காண விரும்புவோரால் தாக்குப்பிடிக்க முடியாதவையாக இருக்கின்றன.
வீடியோ, சி.டி.க்கள், டி.வி.டி.க்கள் இவை போக ஏகப்பட்ட தொலைக்காட்சி சேனலகளில் மாறி மாறி பழைய படங்கள் என்று காட்டப்படும் இக்காலத்தில், மக்களால் எட்ட முடியாத கட்டணத்தில் புதிய அரங்குகளில் பழைய படங்களைத் திரையிடுவது என்பது பிரம்ம பிரயத்தனம். (நம் மக்களை நம்பி எந்த பரீட்சாத்த முயற்சியிலும் இறங்க முடியாது). உதாரணமாக சென்னை அண்ணாசாலை ஏரியாவில் பழைய படங்களைத் திரையிட்டு வந்த பாரகன், சித்ரா, வெலிங்டன், பிளாசா போன்ற எண்ணற்ற திரையரங்குகள் காணாமல் போய்விட்டன. சென்னை முழுக்கவும் இதே நிலைதான்.
சின்னஞ்சிறிய விநியோகஸ்தர்கள், காஸினோ தியேட்டர் அருகேயுள்ள மீரான்சாகிப் தெருவிலிருந்து பழைய படச்சுருள் பெட்டிகளை வாங்கி, சைக்கிள் கேரியர்களில் வைத்துக்கட்டி தியேட்டர்களுக்கு எடுத்துச்சென்று திரையிட்டு மகிழ்ந்த அந்த 'பொற்காலம்' எல்லாம் கனவாகிவிட்டது. வீடுகளே மினி தியேட்டர்களாக மாறி விட்ட இக்காலத்தில் பழைய நிலைக்கு மனம் ஏங்குதென்னவோ உண்மைதான்.
ஏக்கம் வெறும் கனவாகவே போய்விடாமல் மாற்றம் நிகழும் என நம்புவோம்.