Popular actor and comedian R. S. Shivaji passed away in Chennai on Saturday morning, September 2. He was 66. Known predominantly for his collaborations with 'Ulaganayagan' Kamal Haasan, R. S. Shivaji gained popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, with his last starring role in the Yogi Babu-starrer Luckyman releasing on Friday, September 1. The news of the actor's demise has come as a big shock to many in the Tamil film fraternity and fans, who have taken to social media to express their condolences.
Popular Tamil actor #RSShivaji has passed away! #RIPRSShivaji Galatta?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Galatta pic.twitter.com/3g8POBFW6U
— Galatta Media (@galattadotcom) September 2, 2023
Born in Chennai in 1956, R. S. Shivaji hailed from a family that had been involved in Tamil cinema. His father M. R. Santhanam was known for his roles in several films, including making an appearance in legendary filmmaker Ellis R. Dungan's Meera (1945), while his brother Santhana Bharathi has garnered fame as an actor and film director. R. S. Shivaji has worked in various roles across film production like assistant direction, sound design, and line production, and collaborated on several Raaj Kamal Films International (RKFI) ventures. Some of his most memorable roles in Kamal Haasan's films included Vikram (1986), Sathya (1988), Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989), Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990), Guna (1991), Kalaignan (1993), Magalir Mattum (1994), Chachi 420 (1997), Pammal K. Sambandam (2002), Anbe Sivam (2003), and Unnaipol Oruvan (2009).
Apart from being a part of Kamal Haasan's ventures, R. S. Shivaji also appeared with several other big Tamil cinema stars in films like Sathyaraj's Jeeva (1988), 'Superstar' Rajinikanth's Mappillai (1989), Prabhu's My Dear Marthandan (1990) and Vietnam Colony (1994), 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Poove Unakkaga (1996), Ajith Kumar's Villain (2002), Mani Ratnam's Aaytha Ezhuthu (2004), Jayam Ravi's M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi (2004), Nayanthara's Kolamavu Kokila (2018) Suriya's Soorarai Pottru (2020), Madhavan's Maara (2021), Santhanam's Parris Jeyaraj (2021), and Sai Pallavi's Gargi (2022).
