Chennai: Laurels were heaped on thespian Sivaji Ganesan and his acting prowess was recalled at a function organised to release the trailer of the digital version of the actor’s 1972 blockbuster Vasantha Maligai here today.
A romantic drama, it was directed by K S Prakash Rao and produced by D Ramanaidu. The film featured Sivaji Ganesan and Vanisri in the lead. Balaji, V K Ramasamy, A Sakuthala, V S Raghavan, C R Parthiban, Santhakumari and Srikanth formed part of the cast. Vasantha Maaligai was a blockbuster that ran for nearly 750 days in cinema halls across Tamilnadu. The highlight of the movie was its music. K V Mahadevan’s songs including Mayakam Enna, Kudi Magane, Oru Kinnathai and Kalaimagal are popular even today.
The digital version would be released in cinema halls by filmmaker V C Guhanathan in digital format with enhanced audio quality. Veteran director S P Muthuraman, Ramkumar, elder son of Sivaji Ganesan, producer-actor Chitra Lakshmanan and veteran playback singer P Susheela were present at the trailer launch. Fans of Sivaji Ganesan gathered in large numbers at the venue.
Speaking on the occasion, Muthuraman said he (Sivaji Ganesan) was a disciplined actor. He was dedicated and punctual all through his career. Whoever wants to become an actor should first see at least a dozen of Sivaji Ganesan’s films.
On his part, Chitra Lakshmanan, said, “He was always down-to-earth. Till the end, he lived as a director’s actor.”
“Tamil cinema will never see such a versatile artiste like him again. He was matchless and inspired everyone to excel,” said P Susheela. Plans are on for a release of Vasantha Maaligai after Lok Sabha elections.