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| CM
inspects the Sivaji statue! To be unveiled
on July 21st!! |
June
30, 2006 |
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This
is one man in Indian cinema who needs absolutely
no introduction! One of the most revered
actors of all times, Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan
is a name familiar to all. Known for his
expressions, dialogue delivery, meticulous
precision and unparalleled discipline, Sivaji
Ganesan is a veritable yardstick, especially
in Tamil cinema.
Therefore, it hardly comes as a surprise
that the current Chief Minister and DMK
president Karunanidhi has decided to erect
a statue for the yesteryear star in Chennai.
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While on a visit to his native place,
Thiruvarur, the DMK president happened
to chance upon the statue of his
good old friend, Chevalier Sivaji's,
standing imposingly in Pondicherry.
The sight filled him with nostalgia
and rekindled memories of a time
when he used to admire the statue
for close to ten minutes! This time
too he stopped his car to admire
the statue, and it was then and
there that he decided to erect a
similar statue in Chennai.
Euphoria is what the entire film
industry felt, unanimously, at this
decision, and the Sivaji family
is honoured. They made a personal
visit to the CM's residence to express
their heartfelt gratitude.
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This new statue has been built by the famous
sculptor, Mani Nagappa, the man, or rather,
the hands behind the original Sivaji statue
in Pondicherry. Unfortunately, Mani Nagappa
is off to the US, so his very talented protégé,
KG Ravi, has the responsibility of seeing
this through. In fact, work has already
begun, with the statue being eight feet
tall.
Chief Minister Karunanidhi along with minister
Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, paid a visit to the
sculptors' workshop at Teynampet yesterday,
to have a look at the statue which is almost
ready. He was very happy with the perfection
of the statue. |
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KG Ravi who is visibly proud of
this venture says, "When the
stalwart was alive, he had given
my master a sample photograph and
requested the statue to look the
same. With only slight alterations
made, we carved the original statue
that took a year for completion.
But for this statue in Chennai,
we employed a group of 6 people,
and we worked continuously, day
and night, for 45 days and finally
completed the statue. It weighs
nearly 750 kgs and is purely made
from Bronze. The cost of this statue
is a whopping Rs.6 lakhs! Plans
are on to erect it somewhere opposite
the DGP office near the beach. If
you notice, most of statues along
the coast in Marina beach are black
in colour.
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We thought of making Chevalier Sivaji's
statue also in black, but it was the CM
who wanted it in a golden colour. So we
have coloured the statue in gold, for which
we used the very expensive MRF Gold paint."
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statue will be unveiled on July 21 on the
death anniversary of Sivaji Ganesan. A lot
of people from the film fraternity are expected
to attend the event. Only the very best
materials, the best location and the best
talent, for a man who is much more than
simply a legend. A legend who lives on,
and now the statue is standing proof for
that! |
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