9/06/2013
Forbes India one of the Elite magazine of the world released a special article on 25 of the Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema. From our Kollywood industry the Legendary Sivaji Ganesan, The Versatile Thengai Sreenivasan, Superstar Rajinikanth, Ullaganayagan Kamal Haasan and evergreen Revathi were featured in the prestigious list.
Here are the excerpts from the article
Sivaji Ganesan
in Parasakthi (Supreme Energy/Goddess), 1952
In his cinematic debut, Sivaji Ganesan (1928-2001) plays a man from Burma who visits his hometown in India to attend his sister’s wedding, only to become a victim of frauds and crooks, losing everything except his sense of justice. This plays out in a court scene towards the climax. The scene is a heady mix of sober photography, hard hitting dialogues (written by M Karunanidhi, Tamil Nadu’s former chief minister), and a passionate performance by Sivaji. His acting evolved over the years, but the core elements that defined him—he could speak a thousand words with a mere gesture, and could mesmerise audiences, like Morgan Freeman, by reading out a telephone directory—were all there.
Thengai Sreenivasan / Rajinikanth
in Thillu Mullu (Hodgepodge), 1981
Rajinikanth, the superstar, is mostly known for his charisma, punch dialogues and mindboggling stunts. It’s a shame, because he is among the best comedians in Tamil cinema. There’s a bit of self-effacing comedy in almost all his roles, but nothing can match his act in Thillu Mullu, a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Gol Maal. Even so, many believe the real hero of the film is Thengai Srinivasan (1937-1998), whose potrayal of a strict boss and a father has influenced generations of comedians.
Revathi
in Mouna Ragam (Silent Melody), 1986
Mani Ratnam explores arranged marriages, and the process of a girl settling down with a virtual stranger. The girl, a bit of rebel, moves to Delhi, where her husband works, away from Chennai, away from her conservative parents and doting sisters; she takes with her memories of a dead man from her college days. The mood shifts from the tension of an intensity that only married people can identify with, to the light-hearted comfort of the familiar joys of discovery, mostly shaped by the effortless performance of the talented actress.
Kamal Haasan
in Mahanadi (The Great River), 1994
It’s not often that Kamal Haasan lets the story and screenplay overtake his performance. But when he lets it happen, it can haunt the audience for years. In Mahanadi, Haasan plays an innocent widower, a small-time businessman with a loving family whose chance meeting with a devious crook takes him down a tragic road, landing him in jail, his son with gypsies, and his daughter in a brothel in Kolkata. When his jail term is over, he goes in search of his daughter, and their meeting is one of the most poignant moments in Tamil cinema. See it once, and it haunts you forever, in a way that is both uplifting and scary.
Posts
