Nagesh - The Comedian and more.

In this blog I have written my tributes to the greats of tamil cinema, Sivaji Ganesan and Illayraja. Third in the series is the tribute to one of my favorite actors of all time.

Last year when one Nagesh, the comedian par excellence died, I was not mourning, rather a comedy of his came to mind and I was smiling. This is the charisma of the legendary comedian. He is one of the actors I have seen in person. I saw him in a GURUPOOJA (for going to Sabarimala temple) in chennai. He was humility personified. Ironically The Great Kamal Hasan Reciprocated my thoughts saying,
"The greatness of the man is that even as we are mourning his passing away and crying, you are reminded of some 'Nagesh joke,' which will make you laugh instantly. The only photograph I have in my office is that of him and me. I am such a huge fan."
In spite of having a very crappy personal life, his on screen exploits left the audiences in splits. Mostly self taught, his inspiration was the American actor, Jerry lewis. But most of his quirks were borrowed from daily life instances. The famous climax of the movie "Server sundaram" was inspired by his real life. His biggest regret is that he could not meet his mother in her death bed. The scene in the movie in which as an actor he completes the scene knowing that his mother had died melts the hearts of millions even today.



He was born in Tumkur, Karnataka. Chasing his dream, he came to chennai. There he stayed in a one-room bed-sit at West Mambalam with lyricist Vaali and actor Srikanth. He found a small time job in the Railways and this was not sufficient to keep himself and to feed him three meals a day. He used to work in dramas and also in films in small roles. He got a big break in a Balaji film. But it was director K. Balachandar who gave a turning point in Nagesh's career. He believed that an actor can learn from watching life and it's characters. He often sat in his car in busy roadsides and watched the people on the streets to grasp the mannerisms of people that he would later reproduce on screen.His career spanned several decades, across successive generations of heroes and directors. While there is no doubt about his contribution to comedy, his fans recall his ability to play serious roles evocatively, as in Neer Kumuzhi and Ethir Neechal.



He was widely respected by his contemporaries. Mehmood, once introduced Ngesh to his friends and said ' This is Nagesh the man responsible for my existence as an actor. Everything i know i have learn t it from him' He is close friends with Actors Kamal, Cho Ramaswamy and Manorama (THough after a small difference of opinion they stopped acting together). Nagesh is very well known for his dancing skills. But few know that when he entered the tamil cinema is hardly knew anything about dancing. Choreographer Sundaram once recalled how Nagesh turned from a no dancer to a good dancer in just one movie (Server Sundaram) through his determination and hard work.

No one can portray a character with Inferiority Complex like him. Most of the Comedian actors always make fun of others, or delivering uncouth dialogues, but Nagesh never chose to do that. In his latter years, he portrayed character roles with aplomb. His roles in "Nammavar", "Devar magan", "vassol Raja" proved his worth as an character artist. Eventually his chronic drinking and smoking habits led to his Death. He had notable personal feuds with MGR and "achi" Manoramma.

Sadly he was never recognised with awards by either the state nor central governments. Government should at least posthumously award him a Dada Saheb Palke award and a Padma Shri. Thanks Nagesh Sir for giving us Years of Happiness through your unforgettable roles. What Kannadasan said will fit you perfectly 'nee niranadharamanavan azhivadhillai, endha nilaiyilum unaaku maranamillai'. As expected I will finish this article with a smile in my face.