There are actors & there are stars. Very few are both. Even in that few, only a handful can be termed ‘Genius’ & go on to become an inspiration to hundreds of others. The benchmarks they set would invariably stay untouched forever & their acting skills would enthrall several generations to follow. One such talent is known by the name, NAGESH.
As a kid while watching old movies in TV, I was never fascinated by MGR or Sivaji, but it was a magical actor called Nagesh who captured my attention & kept me mesmerized for years. An actor par excellence, an acting institute by himself; his comic timing, gimmicks & body language are unparalleled. Nagesh’s frolics are so fantastic; it brings an immediate smile in your face & produces instant warmth in your heart.
Those days (early 80’s), when they show old movies in TV, I would not like watching them & constantly bother my mother (who would be totally absorbed in the film). The only movies that I watch patiently would be those that have Nagesh in it. Even there, if he is not coming on screen for more than 15 minutes at a stretch, I would nag my mom constantly, until he appears. I remember vividly the way we (me, my cousins & friends) used to jump up & down unable to suppress our laughter, while watching his antics on screen. Over time, my admiration for this great actor grew manifold & off-late this admiration has turned into immense respect.
As far as Iam concerned, he is by no means inferior to anyone as an actor. Give him any role, any task, he would gel with the character completely & the result would be nothing less than magical. He is the only actor who can overshadow people like Sivaji & Kamal on screen. Who can forget his stellar performances in movies like Kadhalikka Neramillai, Galatta Kalyanam, Baama Vijayam, Ooty varai uravu, Anbe vaa, Thiruvilayadal, Server Sundaram, Neerkumizhi, Edhirneechal, Thillana mohanambal, Nammavar & hundreds of other films. I would even go to the extent of saying that Indian cinema has never seen an artist like Nagesh & some of the roles he did could not be enacted by anyone in the world.
When I was aspiring to become an actor in films, there were quite a few dreams that I had & one such dream was meeting Nagesh in person. Infact, I had wanted to touch the feet & get blessings from only 3 people in the industry & ofcourse, one among them was Nagesh. Iam his die-hard fan & can watch his comedy tirelessly for hours together on any given day. Even today, when I watch his comedy clippings in TV, I cannot help marveling at those clean one-liners, his effervescence, his classic timing & his enormous enthusiasm. I feel connected instantaneously while watching Nagesh act.
It is a pity that this gem of an actor went almost unrecognized by the Indian government without winning much awards & recognition. Infact, I feel that our own industry has not paid enough tribute to this legend when he was alive. He was a terrific character artist & he was totally under utilized by our film industry in the last 20 years or so. Only Kamalhassan seemed to have realized his potential & gave him some fabulous roles in movies like Apoorva sahodarargal, MMKR, Magalir mattum, Avvai Shanmugi, Panchathanthiram, Nammavar etc.
With due respect to them all, I have seen every one from Koundamani & Senthil & Vivek & Vadivelu, but none to match Nagesh’s vibrancy & natural acting. He is one among the few, who have given their everything to the film industry & the paying public. As a true lover of good films, I can never forget the immense contribution that Nagesh has made to the Tamil film industry & would always cherish him as a “Complete Entertainer”.
If my message can reach him now, then there is something that I have to tell him (which I had always wanted to tell him in person), 'Sir, you are my first hero'. Goodbye, Mr.Nagesh...
No comments:
Post a Comment