OPS, Not EPS, To Inaugurate Sivaji Ganesan's Memorial

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will inaugurate a memorial in honour of Tamil thespian Sivaji Ganesan on Sunday, coinciding with his birth anniversary, Chief Minister E Palaniswami said today.

Earlier, the government had said Information and Publicity Minister C Raju would inaugurate the memorial following which the Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Samooga Nala Peravai, a social welfare body run by the actor's fans, said it should be done by the chief minister.

Mr Palaniswami not inaugurating the memorial would mean disrespect to the late actor, it had said.

In a statement, Mr Palaniswami said though he wanted to inaugurate the memorial following a request made by the actor's family, he would not be able to do so as he would be out of town to take part in other functions that he had already agreed to attend.

He said he has issued orders that the memorial would be inaugurated on October 1, coinciding with the actor's birth anniversary.

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"Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will inaugurate the memorial on October 1," the chief minister said.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar will preside over the function along with the Information and Publicity Minister, he said. The 28,300 square feet memorial has been built by the Public Works Department at a cost of Rs 2.80 crore at Adyar.

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In 2015, late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced in the assembly that a memorial will be built honouring Sivaji Ganesan, who ruled the Tamil film world since the 1950s. A winner of Dada Saheb Phalke award, Mr Ganesan acted in over 300 films most of which were big hits. He died on July 21, 2001.

A bronze statue of the actor, removed from Kamarajar Salai abutting Marina Beach in Chennai following a court directive, will be unveiled at the memorial on Sunday.

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Mr Palaniswami said, "There cannot be any second opinion that there is no one to match his acting skills, which are praised the world over."