At the time of his demise, we look back at the life of one of Tamil cinema's great legends. His father Mr. Chiniah Pillai worked for the railways and being intensely involved in the Indian Freedom Movement was in and out of jail, like countless followers of Mahatma Gandhi, at that time. Little Ganesan was therefore almost entirely brought up by his mother Mrs. Rajamani Ammal, who struggled to give her handsome son a good upbringing and education. The fact, however, was that little Ganesan, as he grew up, knew that he would have to do something on his own, and fate had its own great plans for him. He dropped out of school where he had picked up interest in acting on the school stage and ran away to join a boys company to do what he most wanted to - act.
History reveals how the enterprising youth rose in the boys company.
Even at that early stage, his wonderful asset was the range of his voice. He was thin and lanky but his voice had a mesmerizing strength and power. For the characters he played, both male and female, the delightful range of his voice was an asset. His first appearance was as Sita in the play Ramayana . Through sheer histrionic talents, step by step, he established a great reputation as an actor from a very young age.