- published: 01 Feb 2016
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K. Bhagyaraj is a Tamil film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. He has also written and directed Telugu, Hindi films and TV serials. He won a Filmfare Best Actor Award for Mundhanai Mudichu (1983). He is editor of weekly magazine Bhagya and has also written several novels.
Bhagyaraj was born in Vellankoil near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district in Tamil Nadu. His parents were Krishnaswamy and Amaravathiamma. He married twice. His first marriage was with actress Praveena, in 1981. She died due to an aggravated case of jaundice in August 1983. His second marriage was with actress Poornima Jayaram on February 7, 1984. She was his co-star in Darling Darling Darling (1983). The couple have a daughter Saranya Bhagyaraj who debuted in the 2006 film Parijatham and a son Shanthnu Bhagyaraj who made his debut in Sakkarakatti which released in 2008.
Vettaithidal Chinnaiahpillai "Sivaji" Ganesan (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century and was one of the most respected film actors in India. He was well known for his versatility and acting skills with numerous roles depicted on screen, which gave him also the Tamil honorific name Nadigar Thillagam (English: the pride of actors). He progressed from a stage actor since his childhood to the filmdom with such an authority that the Tamil cinema considered as the golden era. In a career spanning close to five decades he has acted in nearly 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. His eidetic memory helped him remember his scripts at a glance.
Ganesan was the first Indian film actor to win a "Best Actor" award in an International film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo, Egypt in 1960. Many leading South Indian film actors have stated that their acting was influenced by Ganesan. He was also the first Indian actor to be made a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.