Did you know Sivaji Ganesan shared sibling bond with Lata Mangeshkar and built a bungalow for her
Sivaji Ganesan and Lata Mangeshkar are undeniable pioneers in their respective fields. Both of them have played a significant role in the evolution of Indian Cinema over the years. But a little known fact is that the two legends were extremely close to each other, and treated each other as their own siblings.
In an old interview with the Hindu, Sivaji Ganesan’s son, Prabhu had revealed that his father, and Lata Mangeshkar were really good friends. He said that the singer was a huge fan of the thespian, and that the friendship goes all the way back to the 60s. Lata Mangeshkar watched one of Nadigar Thilagam’s films, and flew all the way to Tamil Nadu to meet him.
From that first visit, the friendship between them only grew stronger. The Ponniyin Selvan actor revealed that Lata Mangeshkar, and her sisters, would actually refer to the Thevar Magan actor as ‘Sivaji Anna’, which means ‘big brother Sivaji’.
In fact, their bond was so tight that the Pyar Kiya toh Darna Kya singer refused any sort of remuneration for singing the song Aararo Aararo from the 1987 Tamil film Anand. The film featured Sivaji Ganesan’s younger son Prabhu. According to the Varisu actor, the legendary singer refused remuneration stating that she ‘did it for her elder brother’. ‘Aararo Aararo’ also happened to be the first direct song in Tamil. All Tamil songs she had sung prior to this were for films that were dubbed in Tamil.
Sivaji Ganesan built a bungalow for Lata Mangeshkar
To be fair, the word ‘siblings’ falls short when one has to explain the relationship between the two legends. The Padayappa actor even built a bungalow inside his residence, Annai Illam, in Chennai for Lata Mangeshkar to stay whenever she visited.
Prabhu revealed in the interview that his mother would cook food and send boiled water in a flask for Lata Mangeshkar as well, as the singer was not a big fan of food from restaurants. Both families also sent each other gifts during special occasions.
About Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar, born and brought up in a Marathi family in Indore, is one of the finest singers the country has ever seen. She has sung in over 20 languages and is rightfully referred to as the ‘Queen of Melody’. She also had a brief stint as a film producer, and a music producer, spread out from the 1950s to the 1990s. The Bharat Ratna awardee breathed her last on 6th February, 2022.
About Sivaji Ganesan
Sivaji Ganesan is regarded by many as one of the finest acting talents of all time in Tamil Nadu. He is well known for the versatility of characters he portrayed on screen. He joined a traveling drama troupe at the age of seven, defying his father’s wishes. It was there that Ganesan was trained, not just in acting, but dancing as well. He was given the moniker Sivaji, by the great social reformer Periyar, who conferred him with the title owing to Ganesan’s portrayal of the titular character in the play Sivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam.
Due to his versatile acting abilities, he is often referred to as Nadigar Thilagam, which literally translates to ‘Pride of Actors’. He has shared the screen space with actors like Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, who consider him to be a role model, and one of the best actors they’ve worked with.
On the occasion of his 95th birth anniversary, Pinkvilla looks back, remembers and cherishes the great thespian, Sivaji Ganesan.
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