Google remembers Sivaji Ganesan on his 93rd birth anniversary, pays tribute with a doodle

The tech giant Google on Friday celebrated the 93rd birthday of Shivaji Ganesan by dedicating a doodle illustrated by India-based artist Noopur Rajesh Choksi. Ganesan, born in 1928 today was one of India's first method actos and is widely considered among the country's most influential actors of all time.doodle

Ganesan, who was born in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram town, left home at the age of 7 to join a theatre group where he started playing child and female roles and then lead roles.

Becoming 'Sivaji'
Ganesan was recognised as 'Sivaji', a name he carried with him after playing the role of Indian king Shivaji in December 1945 theatrical. The regal stage name stuck and Ganesan took up the name 'Sivaji' as he went on in his career in acting.


In 1952, he made hs on-screen debut with film 'Parasakthi'. Ganesan then appeared in over 300 films in his five-decade career in acting. The became a renowned name for his expressive voice and diverse performances in Tamil-language cinema. Some of his best-known hits include the trendsetting 1961 film 'Pasamalar', an emotional, family story considered one of Tamil cinema’s crowning achievements, and the 1964 film 'Navarthri', Ganesan’s 100th film in which he portrayed a record-breaking, nine different roles.

Ganesan made history in 1960 after he was crowned as the Best Actor at an international film festival for his histric film 'Veerapandiya Kattabomma'. The film was one of this biggest hits. His fans still remember his dialogues from the movie.

Other distinguished accolades came near the end of Ganesan's career. In 1995, France awarded the actor its highest decoration, Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. In 1997, the Indian government honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award which is the nation's highest award in the field of cinema. "Today, his legacy is carried on for international audiences through the performances of the many contemporary Indian acting greats who cite Ganesan as a major inspiration," Google said in a post.