Saigal Joseph passes away

Yesteryear actor and singer Joseph Rodriguez, fondly known as Saigal Joseph, 83, passed away here on Saturday.

Joseph was a singer-actor in some major Tamil plays and over 300 films in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.He is survived by wife Treasa, daughter Gilda and son Antony. The funeral will be held at the St Mary’s Church in Edakochi on Sunday at 10.45 am.

Hailing from Pambayimoola near Edakochi, he began his career as a singer in the Edakochi-Aroor ferry service.

His life took a detour after meeting the late Augustine Joseph (father of singer K J Yesudas). After watching his performance in the boat, Augustine advised him to go to Chennai and pursue a career in singing and acting. Later, he managed to become a member of the Sree Sakthy drama troupe. Sivaji Ganesan, a member of the team, listened to Joseph’s song and prefixed ‘Saigal’ to his name.

He soon became popular in the drama circles as Saigal Joseph. He was also part of Sivaji’s troupe, and performed on various stages in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore. His major Tamil films include ‘Raman Ethanai Ramanadi’, ‘Naan En Piranthen’ and ‘Nam Naadu’. He also launched Velankanni Musicals, a Chenna -based music troupe.