Dulquer Salmaan pays tribute to Gemini Ganesan on birth centenary

It is Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan’s

birth centenary

and Dulquer Salmaan, who played the legendary actor in 2018 Telugu biopic

Mahanati

, based on the life of actress Savitri, paid his respects.

Speaking about playing the actor, who earned the nickname Kaadhal Mannan for his romantic portrayals, Dulquer wrote in a social media post, “Though I could never match his charm, looks or acting skills, I consider it a privilege and honour to have been able to play the role of Gemini Ganeshan on screen. Apart from leaving a legacy that has inspired a generation of movie lovers, he had a larger-than-life personality that today is the stuff of legend. Here’s remembering the one and only Gemini Ganesan on his centennial birth anniversary.”

Mahanati, which portrays the beleaguered life of Savitri and her romantic relationship with Gemini Ganesan, was Dulquer’s debut Telugu venture. Keerthy Suresh, who played Savitri in the Nag Ashwin directorial, had won the National Award for Best Actress.

Gemini Ganesan is considered of the three greats of Tamil cinema, along with actors MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. He made his debut with Miss Malini in 1947, but acquired his stardom through the 1954 film Manam Pola Mangalyam. He has acted not only in Tamil, but also Telugu and Hindi and one Malayalam film, the 1973 movie Jesus, where he played John the Baptist.

The actor was also known for his many affairs and was still married to his first wife, Alamelu, when he married Savitri. He also had two daughters, including Hindi actress Rekha, with Telugu actress Pushpavalli.