Thespian Sivaji's statue to be unveiled tomorrow off Marina

Chennai, July 20 (UNI) A life-size statue of late actor Sivaji Ganesan will be unveiled by his long-time friend and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi off the Marina tomorrow, to mark the thespian's fifth death anniversary.

With Madras High Court declining to restrain the state government from unveiling the statue at the proposed site, arrangements were on in full swing to make the ceremony one of the memorable events in the history of Tamil cinema.

It would be a poignant and nostalgic moment for Mr Karunanidhi, who was the script writer for Sivaji's debut film 'Parasakthi.' Incidentally, ''success'' was the first dialogue given to young Ganesan who later went on to scale the pinnacle of fame in Indian cinema.

The Karunanidhi-Sivaji combination made an explosive impact on the screen with the former's rich prose, brimming with vitality, with the actor par excellence giving emotive and impressive expression to it.

'Manohara,' 'Thirumbi Paar,' 'Kuravanji' and 'Iruvar Ullam' were some of the notable films in their combination.

The prefix 'Sivjai' was bestowed on the actor by none other than revered Dravidian leader late 'Periyar' E V Ramasamy, who was moved by Ganesan's impressive portrayal of the famous Maratha emperor in a stage play.

After late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Sivjai was the only other Indian to be honoured with the mayorship of Niagara city for a day. The French government honoured him with Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Literature.

The actor was also bestowed with 'Padma Shri' and 'Padma Bhushan' awards and the Tamil Nadu government's 'Kalaimamani' award.

Leaders of various political parties, the film fraternity, eminent citizens, movie buffs and people from all walks of life are expected to converge on the Marina to give a fitting tribute to one of the brightest stars of Tamil cinema.

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