Sivaji Ganesan on Google Doodle today: What you must know

Google is honouring one of Indian cinema’s finest actor on the Google homepage today. The Google doodle on today’s Google Search pays tribute to Sivaji Ganesan, a legendary actor from the south Indian film industry. Ganesan won appreciation at the highest levels, with the Government of India honouring him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1997.

Today’s Google doodle honours the actor on his 93rd birthday. Originally known as Ganesamoorthy, he was born on October 1, 1928 and got into acting from a very young age. He eventually got the title “Sivaji” after playing the 17th century king of the same name in theatres in 1945.

Ganesan eventually ascended to Tamil movies in the early 1950s and has been a part of 300 films in his career spanning five decades. His first one was called Parasakthi that debuted in 1952. Some of his other popular movies include Pasamalar (1961) and Navarthri (1964), the latter where he had nine roles to play.

Soon after, Ganesan started getting acclaims on an international level. He won the Best Actor at an international film festival for Veerapandiya Kattabomman, which was a historical war film released in 1960.

Towards the later part of his career, France awarded him Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 1995.

Ganesan passed away in 2001 and is currently succeeded by his grandson Vikram Prabhi, who put a tweet thanking Google and the artist responsible for creating the artwork on Google doodle.