Apoorva Sagodharargal to Avvai Shanmughi: Most memorable performances of veteran actor Delhi Ganesh

Veteran actor Delhi Ganesh is one of the most versatile actors in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 100 movies in varied roles and has won acclaim for many of his performances. Having made his debut in K Balachander’s Pattina Pravesam in 1976, he has been regular in many of Kamal Haasan films – in fact, some of his memorable performances were with him. The senior actor, who was given the stage name ‘Delhi Ganesh’ by Balachander, was a member of the Delhi-based drama troupe, Dakshina Bharata Nataka Sabha, before he entered film. He had also served in the Indian Air Force from 1964 to 1974 before quitting to don the greasepaint for movies.

While he has played numerous character roles in films effectively, his role as one of the four menacing villains in Kamal Haasan-starrer 'Apoorva Sagodharargal' in 1989, stands out even today. The film had an ensemble cast including Kamal Haasan, Jaishankar, Nagesh, Gautami, Rupini, Manorama, Srividya, Janagaraj, Moulee, Delhi Ganesh and Nasser. Kamal played twins, Raju and Appu, among which the latter was a dwarf. In the film, Appu uses a Rube Goldberg Machine to kill Francis Anbarasu. The scene became so popular that it was parodied in Thamizh Padam (2010), with Delhi Ganesh reprising his role.

The veteran actor pulled off his role as a Palakkad-based cook in Michael Madana Kama Rajan effortlessly. In an earlier interview, Ganesh had admitted that he got the confidence to pull off comedy roles because of the late ‘Crazy’ Mohan, who penned the screenplay of the film along with Kamal Haasan. Interestingly, it was Crazy Mohan, who gave the idea to bring in the Malayalam accent to Tamil and it became hugely popular. The dialogue delivery and expressions of Delhi Ganesh in the film were an instant success and is regarded as one of the best roles in his long career.

One of his most appreciated performances was his role as the shrewd Sethurama Iyer, playing the role of late actor Gemini Ganesan's secretary in the 1996 classic, Avvai Shanmugi. In an interesting trivia of sorts, he had combination scenes with almost everyone in the ensemble cast, which included Kamal Haasan, Meena, Gemini Ganesan, Nasser, Nagesh and Manivannan. Ganesh’s performance in the film, needless to say, was spontaneous and refreshing.

Delhi Ganesh played the role of a Mylapore-based naïve Tamil Brahmin in the film. As a house owner, who, under a critical circumstance, is forced to rent his house to the protagonist played by Madhavan, he ensured that the role was thoroughly entertaining, thanks to his engaging histrionics. His acting, as the father who tries to protect her daughter Gayatri, played by Kanika, from young college boys was another feather in his cap. The movie also had comedian Vivekh playing an important role in it, while Sadha played the lead heroine.

Though his screen time in the film was short, the impact he created in the role of Dr Panchabhootham was tremendous. Delhi Ganesh and his assistant played by Ramesh Khanna, as the doctors treating Thenali (Kamal Haasan), are jealous of a relatively junior doctor Kailash (played by Jayaram) getting all the media attention. He sends Kamal, who played a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who has numerous phobias owing to the Civil War, to doctor Kailash, under the assumption that his failure to cure Thenali would derail his success. Delhi Ganesh's plans go for a toss every time he plans something and what unfolded was a slew of hilarious incidents.