The Tamil film industry is filled with opportunities now, not before 70 years. A man without any background came into the film world through his stage performances and is considered today as the encyclopedia of acting. Sivaji Ganesan is more than a phenomenon to the movie lovers.

It all started with Parasakthi. The fiery dialogues of Kalaignar Karunanidhi that spoke for social development and progressive thinking helped Sivaji Ganesan to begin his film career with a bang. He is someone who doesn't fear uttering pages of dialogues in just a single take. His hard work to memorize them speaks volumes about his dedication. It was followed by Manohara, Uthama Puthiran, and Veerapandiya Kattabomman, the films that made him a superstar within 6 years of his debut.

Pasamalar was once again a fresh start for Sivaji with the movie becoming a blockbuster as well as a cult classic. Whenever you see a brother and sister with great bonding, you hear someone saying "As if they are Pasamalar brother and sister". Sivaji is not just an emotional actor. He could perform comedy with exceptional comfort and he proved that in movies like Sabaash Meena, Bale Pandiya, Galatta Kalyanam, etc. He acted in a negative role in 'Andha Naal' very early in his career and the film didn't have any songs. It was a successful experiment.

Sivaji's love for mythological films is well-known. His performances in films like Karnan, Thiruvilaiyadal, Saraswati Sabatham, Thiruvarutchelvar took him so close to the audience. An interesting thing here is that, in all these films, Sivaji portrayed different roles and excelled in all of them though the films belonged to the same genre. It was a time when the Dravidian movement was getting huge public support. Sivaji Ganesan was a strong believer of God and at the same time, he respected Periyar, the Dravidian ideologue who gave him the title 'Sivaji' after seeing him perform extraordinarily as Chatrapati Shivaji in a play.

Sivaji wanted to act in the biopic of Periyar which became an unfulfilled dream for him. He regretted deeply for it in the later stages of his life. 'Thillana Mohanambal' is one of the most iconic movies ever made in Tamil as it picturized the lifetime performances of Sivaji and Padmini and was a real tribute to music and dance. Movies like 'Gowravam' and 'Thanga Pathakkam' showcased him as an angry old man. When everyone thought 'Thirisoolam' was his last blockbuster as a lead actor, Sivaji gave 'Muthal Mariyathai', the biggest of all his blockbusters. Sivaji has acted in subtle and powerful roles in his final years and 'Thevar Magan' is considered the pinnacle of his acting skills.

We could see many in the younger generation troll him for his 'so-called' overacting in films. They fail to understand that in the 50s and 60s, the film industry had a heavy influence of stage plays because most of the actors emerged from the stage plays and since those plays required them to exaggerate their emotions so that even the audiences in the last row could hear and view their performances, they carried that style to the films also. Only after the 70s, the industry started coming out of that influence and one could see the changes in Sivaji's acting after that period. After all, cinema is not a reality show and one expects only entertainment and emotions from it which Sivaji provided in plenty throughout his career.

Instead of just talking about him, we should try to see all of his films in order to actually understand his greatness and celebrate him. Sivaji has left so much for us to rejoice. When you watch a Sivaji film, watch it from the point of view of that period, do not relate it with the current days. If you do that, you will enjoy his acting to the core and keep watching his films again and again. Sivaji is beyond comparison because he is someone who has acted in 9 different roles in 'Navarathri' when there was no development at all in technology like today. He is beyond ages, generations, and everything.