Sivaji Ganesan

Whatever the world might think about him, I like Sivaji Ganesan. I can't see how someone cannot like him, especially the Sivaji of the b&w era. I recently watched his old film 'Manohara'; you get to see an young Sivaji Ganesan as the son of a King who has lost his senses to a court dancer. The son's pain in seeing his mom, the dharmapatni, slighted and his pain on being suppressed by his own mom from alleviating her sufferings endears the character to our hearts. Though words like spell-bound would sound hackneyed, i sure did enjoy his acting from the start to the finish. Of course, given that its an old film, the plot's quite thick with sub-plots as well. Thats the primary difference between today's films and the films of the b&w era. Back then story was seen as the primary strength, now glamour and special effects are seen as the primary strength. I think i will watch Uthama Puthiran next, the tamizh version of 'The man in the iron mask'.