Stars, a cheering crowd, a few tears and a lot of laughter. The 80th birth anniversary function of actor, Sivaji Ganesan will definitely be an unforgettable evening.
The function saw the presence of many who had come to pay their tribute to the great legend. Apart from the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, stars Saroja Devi, Sivakumar, K.R. Vijaya, Chinnijain, lyricist Vairamuthu, and of course, Prabhu (son of Sivaji) were also present.
The function was conducted by Y.G Mahendran and Mohan Ram. Small clippings of movies done by Sivaji Ganesan were screened for the crowd. The video consisted of some of Sivaji's best movies including Thangasurangam, Sumadi En Sundari, Deivamagan, Saraswati Sabadam, Thangapadakkam, Pudiya Paravai, Pagapirivannai, Iruvar Illam, and Once More.
According to actor Sivakumar, "If you need an example of lifelong friendship, it is the friendship between Sivaji Ganesan and M. Karunanidhi."
Lyricist Vairamuthu recounted incidents from Sivaji's life which led to laughter all around. He recalled an incident where after watching the legend's performance in Kattabomman; a person had approached Sivaji and told him that he had cried during the movie. To which Sivaji had responded by saying, "Was my acting that bad that you had to cry during the movie?" It was the narration of incidents like this that kept the atmosphere lively and joyful.
As a part of the occasion awards were also given to some of the stars by the Chief Minister. T.K. Ramamoorthy, violinist, Chachu, Film News Anandan, K.R. Vijaya, Arun Das and Saroja Devi were all felicitated for their work.
At the event M. Karunanidhi remembered his old friend Sivaji by recounting small incidents from his life. "During his portrayal of Sivaji, Ganesan acted so well that he was given the title of Sivaji post this movie. There is not a single movie of Sivaji that I haven't watched! Our friendship was long and enjoyable. When he suffered, I did too and vice versa. He was able to fulfill his duties to his family, and I fulfilled my duty as a friend to him."
Also present at the occasion were the Travancore Sisters, actor Vineeth, Lalitha, Radhakrishnan, Mahalakshmi and others. This 80th birth anniversary celebration of star Sivaji Ganesan will definitely be an occasion to remember.
Rashmi Kumar
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