Villupuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan earned his screen name 'Sivaji' after acting in C.N. Annadurai's play 'Sivaji Kanda Indhu Rajyam', a historical play on the Maratha Emperor Shivaji. Active in Tamil cinema, Sivaji Ganesan is acknowledged as one of the greatest Indian actors of all time, and was also given the Tamil nickname Nadigar Thilagam (translated to 'the pride of actors'). His acting credits list over 300 film roles.