Delhi Ganesh, a great supporting actor, is no more

Though he had acted with other actors and in a lot of films, Ganesh used to say that his roles in Kamal Haasan starrers earned him a name

Actor Delhi Ganesh. File | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar

Tamil actor Delhi Ganesh, who excelled in supporting roles and gave his talent its fullest expression in the character Samanathu, a sadist, in the short tele-film Payasam, based on writer T. Janakiraman’s short story, died in Chennai on Saturday night. He was 80 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

He effortlessly played the role of a mridhangam player Gurumoorthy in Sindhu Bhairavi, Iyer in Nayagan, cook Palghat Mani Iyer in Michael Madana Kamarajan, Sethurama Iyer in Avvai Shanmugi, psychiatrist Panchabootham in the film Thenali and villain Francis Anbarasu in Apoorva Sagothararkal. He had acted in around 400 films.

His involvement in theatre during his Delhi days had given him a strong foundation in acting. Three years after his entry into the film world, he won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role as rickshaw puller Muniyandi in the film Pasi in 1979. The way he spoke the Madras basha in the film testifies to his talent as a natural actor. 

Delhi Ganesh (1944-2024): The very best of the veteran Tamil actor’s filmography in pictures

Pattina Pravesam (1977): Delhi Ganesh, along with Sivachandran and Sarath Babu, made his acting debut in this K. Balachander directorial. It was the legendary director himself who gave Ganesh the moniker “Delhi” to distinguish him from other actors with the same name, such as Sivaji, Gemini, and Jai.

Pasi (1979): The National Award-winning film ‘Pasi’ featured Delhi Ganesh as a cycle-rickshaw puller who, despite being the breadwinner of a struggling family, is also a drunkard—one of several burdens his daughter has to cope with.

Engamma Maharani (1981): Before becoming one of Tamil cinema’s most notable supporting actors, Delhi Ganesh played the lead role in ‘Engamma Maharani’, portraying a happy family man whose life unravels when he enters into an affair

Sindhu Bhairavi (1985): In yet another K. Balachander film, Delhi Ganesh played Gurumoorthy, a gifted mridangam player in the band of JKB (Sivakumar). He is dismissed for his drinking habits, only for his mentor to later succumb to the very same vice.

Chidambara Rahasiyam (1985): In actor-director Visu’s comedy thriller, Delhi Ganesh initially appears as a refined gentleman helping his son and friends solve a crime. However, spoiler alert: he is later revealed to be the underworld gangster causing the chaos.

Nayakan (1987): A cult classic of Tamil cinema, ‘Nayakan’ marked the first collaboration between Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam. Delhi Ganesh played Iyer, the loyal sidekick who supports Velu Naicker as he rises from a smuggler to an underworld don. Ganesh reprised this role in the 2022 film ‘Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu’.

Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989): Kamal Haasan’s collaborations with Ganesh, especially in comedy, deserve a list of their own. Perhaps the most iconic is ‘Apoorva Sagodharargal’, where Ganesh played Francis Anbarasu, one of the villains responsible for the death of a righteous cop — only to be avenged by the cop’s dwarf son using a Rube Goldberg machine. The scene was later parodied in ‘Thamizh Padam’ (2010), with Ganesh reprising his role.

Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990): In this Kamal Haasan classic, MMKR, Ganesh played Palakkad Mani Iyer, a cook who adopts one of four quadruplets. The humorous interactions between Mani Iyer and his son Kameshwaran provide some of the film’s best scenes. Kamal planned a spinoff for this character titled ‘Londonil Kameshwaran’, but ultimately produced ‘Nala Damayanthi’ (2003) instead.

Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga (2013): This comedy-drama with an unexpected emotional core starred Ganesh as the retired father of a wayward son, who keeps a record of all the expenses he’s incurred for him since birth. His role as a comical father spawned a slew of memes, and his iconic scenes from ‘Ayan’ (“Paiyan pudichitan”) and ‘Aethiree’ (“Joke’u joke’u” with Vivek) have become part of Tamil meme culture.

Irumbu Thirai (2018): Delhi Ganesh was no stranger to father roles in his decades-long career but arguably the best one was at the fag end of his career in the Vishal-starrer ‘Irumbu Thirai’. As the happy-go-lucky Rangarajan who has been anything but an ideal father for his son, Ganesh aced the role of an incompetent father for whom his family mattered more than his pride and honour.

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He just slipped under the skin of the character of mridhanga vidwan Gurumoorthy in Sindhu Bhairavi. Noted mridhangam player T.V. Gopalakrishan was to play the character in the film, but he declined the offer since he was not ready to act as a drunkard. Delhi Ganesh practised for days and played the role to the satisfaction of director Balachandar. 

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan pays floral tribute to actor Delhi Ganesh in Chennai on November 10, 2024 | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

In Middle Class Madhavan he played the role of Prabhu’s father and his excitement when seeing Vadivel breaking the coconut tells a lot about his acting and delivery of dialogue. “Periya pieceu” he would say with a typical enthusiasm of a child.

“Ganesh was known as Delhi Ganesh since he worked in the Indian Air Force and later as a stenographer in the Food Corporation of India in Chennai, before pursuing acting a full-time career. He was active in the Delhi-based theatre troupe, Dakshina Bharata Nataka Sabha,” said K. Venkatachalam, a Tamil film historian. 

While working in Chennai he joined Kathadi Ramamurthi’s troupe. His role as Kuselar in the play Dowry Kalyanam drew the attention of director K. Balachandar who offered him a role in Pattina Pravesam. Balachandar changed his name as Delhi Ganesh. He played the lead role in the film Engamma Sabatham.

Though he had acted with other actors including Rajnikanth, Ganesh used to say that his roles in Kamal Haasan starrers earned him a name and popularity. It was Kamal Haasan, who encouraged a diffident Ganesh to do a full comedy role in Avvai Shanmugi. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the passing of Delhi Ganesh. Mr. Modi remarked that Delhi Ganesh, blessed with impeccable acting skills, will be fondly remembered for the depth he brought to each role and for his ability to connect with viewers across generations.

In a post on X, he wrote: “Deeply saddened by the passing of the illustrious film personality, Thiru Delhi Ganesh Ji. He was blessed with impeccable acting skills. He will be fondly remembered for the depth he brought to each role and for his ability to connect with viewers across generations. He was also passionate about theatre. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”

Published - November 10, 2024 10:32 am IST