Autobiography of an Actor: Difference between revisions

| name              = Autobiography of an Actor: Sivaji Ganesan, October 1928 – July 2001

| pages            = 310

| oclc              = 536676958

'''''Autobiography of an Actor: Sivaji Ganesan, October 1928 – July 2001''''' is the [[autobiography]] of Indian actor [[Sivaji Ganesan]] published by Sivaji Prabhu Charities Trust. It is told in a Q&A format between Ganesan and T. S. Narayanaswamy. The book was originally published in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] under the title '''''Enathu Suya Sarithai''''' ({{translation|My Autobiography}}) on 1 October 2002, and the English translated version by Sabita Radhakrishna was released on the same date five years later.

T. S. Narayanaswamy's desire to write a biography on Ganesan began in 1974, and he began collecting resources the same year. In 1996, after Narayanaswamy retired from [[UNICEF]], he believed it was the right time to begin writing the book; Ganesan too agreed to talk to him. After Narayanaswamy spent over a year collecting press material related to Ganesan published between 1952 and 1996, he was ready to ask Ganesan questions. Ganesan saw numerous factual errors in the press material collected by Narayanaswamy, who then emphasised the need for Ganesan to "set things right". Ganesan asked him if he could write a book "[[First-person narrative|as it comes out of my mouth]]", and the biography was changed into an autobiography.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Narayana Swamy |first1=T S |last2=Warrier |first2=Shobha |author-link2=Shobha Warrier |date=14 October 2002 |title='A book on my life as it came out of my mouth' |url=https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/oct/14nar.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223042741/https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/oct/14nar.htm |archive-date=23 December 2017 |access-date=29 November 2015 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref>

 

The book is told in the manner of a Q&A format, from nearly 80 hours of audio recordings; according to Narayanaswamy, Ganesan told him that by following the Q&A format, "there won't be any editorial licence or pussy-footing; instead, it will be all that I've experienced, as I've seen and felt it, and you'll record it without changing anything".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Muthiah |first=S. |author-link=S. Muthiah |date=4 November 2002 |title=He played 300 different roles |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/11/04/stories/2002110400180300.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=29 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104035402/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/11/04/stories/2002110400180300.htm |archive-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> Narayanaswamy spent four years working on the book.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ashok Kumar |first=S. R. |date=10 December 2002 |title=Autobiography of 'Sivaji' Ganesan |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/br/2002/12/10/stories/2002121000010300.htm |access-date=29 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104035315/http://www.thehindu.com/br/2002/12/10/stories/2002121000010300.htm |archive-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> Over 2000 photographs of Ganesan had been collected for using in the book, but only 200 were used.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kumar |first1=Ram |author-link=Ramkumar Ganesan |last2=Warrier |first2=Shobha |author-link2=Shobha Warrier |date=14 October 2002 |title='He wanted people to know the truth' |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/oct/14ram.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041027210136/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/oct/14ram.htm |archive-date=27 October 2004 |access-date=14 July 2021 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> The recordings of the conversations between Ganesan and Narayanaswamy are stored at the archives of [[All India Radio]], [[Chennai]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kolappan |first=B. |date=16 June 2013 |title=AIR’s platinum record |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/airs-platinum-record/article4818006.ece |url-status=live |access-date=2 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802075900/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/airs-platinum-record/article4818006.ece |archive-date=2 August 2021}}</ref>

The book was originally published in Tamil under the title ''Enathu Suya Sarithai'' on 1 October 2002, exactly one year after Ganesan's death, and the English translated version by Sabita Radhakrishna was released in 2007 on the same date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warrier |first=Shobha |author-link=Shobha Warrier |date=14 October 2002 |title=How V C Ganesan became Sivaji |url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/oct/14siv.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026135748/http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/oct/14siv.htm |archive-date=26 October 2012 |access-date=29 November 2015 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2 October 2007 |title=Sivaji’s contribution to cinema hailed |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Sivajirsquos-contribution-to-cinema-hailed/article14849286.ece |access-date=29 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104035549/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Sivajirsquos-contribution-to-cinema-hailed/article14849286.ece |archive-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> Ganesan's sons [[Prabhu (actor)|Prabhu]], [[Ramkumar Ganesan|Ramkumar]] and nephew Giri Shanmugam said the profits made from the book sales would be donated to "education and social development projects" sponsored by the publisher Sivaji Prabhu Charities Trust.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 August 2002 |title=Sivaji's "autobiography" |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/sivajis-autobiography/article28687490.ece |url-status=live |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210624073544/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/sivajis-autobiography/article28687490.ece |archive-date=24 June 2021}}</ref> While the Tamil original has 310 pages,<ref>{{Cite web |title=En̲atu cuyacaritai /  Civāji Kaṇēcan̲ ; tokuppāciriyar, Ṭi.Es. Nārāyaṇasvāmi. |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblio/11774693 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802071753/https://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblio/11774693 |archive-date=2 August 2021 |access-date=2 August 2021 |website=[[National Library Board]] |location=Singapore |language=ta}}</ref> the English version has 250 pages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaṇēcan̲ |first=Civāji |author-link=Sivaji Ganesan |last2=Nārāyaṇasvāmi |first2=Ṭi. Es |date=2007 |title=Autobiography of an actor: Sivaji Ganesan, October 1928-July 2001 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/autobiography-of-an-actor-sivaji-ganesan-october-1928-july-2001/oclc/297212002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629170114/https://www.worldcat.org/title/autobiography-of-an-actor-sivaji-ganesan-october-1928-july-2001/oclc/297212002 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |access-date=2 August 2021 |website=[[WorldCat]] |language=English |oclc=297212002}}</ref>

Sri Lankan historian [[Sachi Sri Kantha]] criticised the book for omitting numerous aspects of Ganesan's life, stating, "As an autobiographer, Sivaji’s performance&nbsp;– like many of his movies&nbsp;– provides glimpses of some class in a flop, leaving much to be desired ... The $45.00 price I paid for the book in net purchase from a New Delhi vendor seems marginally off-base for a 250 page book, and the price has not been inserted in the book. But for fans of Sivaji, it is a good memento to cherish."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sri Kantha |first=Sachi |author-link=Sachi Sri Kantha |date=9 November 2008 |title=Book Review : Autobiography of Actor&nbsp;— Politician Sivaji Ganesan |url=http://sangam.org/2008/11/Sivaji_Ganesan.php?uid=3155 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306180513/http://sangam.org/2008/11/Sivaji_Ganesan.php?uid=3155 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |access-date=29 November 2015 |website=[[Ilankai Tamil Sangam]]}}</ref> Writing for ''[[India Today]]'' in 2013, Sadanand Menon compared Tamil film actors' biographers to the ones "who light a candle to look at the sun ... The few books till now in this genre have crashed on the rock-bed of a comprehensive incomprehension of the audience base of the Tamil film star ... Sivaji Ganesan's ''Autobiography of an Actor'' (2007) is but a series of snippets from interviews done by T.S. Narayana Swamy."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Menon |first=Sadanand |date=18 January 2013 |title=Power of the Dark Sun |work=[[India Today]] |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sadanand-menon-reviews-rajinikanth-the-definitive-biography-by-naman-ramachandran/1/242791.html |access-date=29 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194519/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sadanand-menon-reviews-rajinikanth-the-definitive-biography-by-naman-ramachandran/1/242791.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

[[Category:Biographies about actors]]