Matinee idol of yesteryears and south India's superstar Gemini Ganesan, 85, is critically ill and in the intensive care unit of a Chennai hospital.

Ganesan, who is the father of Bollywood actress Rekha, became part of the famous 'trinity' of Tamil cinema that also comprised M.G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan from the 1950s to 1970s.

He has been unwell since last week, and his condition deteriorated Sunday.

Ganesan was a chemistry tutor in the Madras Christian College and first began acting for the then famous Gemini studios in 1947.

Born on Nov 16, 1919, he became famous as an actor in the name of the studio he worked for. The star of films like "Kalyanapparisu" began work as a salaried actor as was the system in those days.