CHENNAI: In popular film lore it is said that the legend of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, the Palayakarrar chieftain who was hanged by the British in 1799, has lived on due to late Tamil thespian Sivaji Ganesan’s powerful portrayal of the warrior in the 1959 biopic.
Such has been Sivaji’s screen magic that the film Veerapandiya Kattabomman continues to draw fans in droves 56 years after it first hit the screens. On Friday, when the movie was re-released, his fans distributed sweets, burst crackers and performed aarthi to a cutout of the actor at a theatre here.
At Shanthi Theatre, owned by the actor’s family, people from all walks of life — from engineers, to accountants to salesmen to teachers — turned up to watch their beloved hero in one of his eternal roles one more time. Every time Sivaji appeared on screen, loud cheers rent the air with most fans giving him a standing ovation and screaming, ‘Tamil Naatin Singame, Thalaivaa…’
Among them was Pappaiyaa, who had lost vision 12 years ago after acid spilled on his eyes. “I’ve been a fan of Sivaji since 1975. I have watched this film scores of times but I love it so much that I will keep coming to the theatres. All I have to do is listen to the dialogues as I remember the scenes vividly,” he said. In 1959, when the film was first released, it was on 35mm and had mono-sound. It has been converted to cinemascope with 5.1 surround system. movie hailed by