RIP - Nagesh

Tamil cinema's evergreen comedian Nagesh passed away yesterday in Chennai. Arguably Tamil cinema's finest comedian, he was one of the few actors whose demise can be described with the phrase 'the end of an era'.

Nagesh was undoubtedly a gifted comedian. A single move - like the one where he widened his eyes and shrugged his shoulders simultaneously when he was surprised - was enough to make us laugh and his facial expressions, body language and voice came together to reveal incredible comic timing in movie after movie. But 'comedian' would be too tight a slot for him. He was an amazing dancer with some unique, trademark movies and a superb character actor too.

I haven't seen too many films where Nagesh appeared purely as a comedian. Ofcourse I've heard of his hilarious comedy tracks, his perfect comic chemistry with Manorama in numerous movies and his indispensable part even in movies that starred MGR and Sivaji. But I haven't personally seen too many of those movies. But remembering the old adage Oru Paanai Sotrukku Oru Soru Padham, his role in ThiruviLaiyaadal is proof enough of his comic genius. His role as the impoverished poet Tharumi in that film is legendary and it is almost certain that his sequence will figure in any Tamil cinema viewer's list of favorite comedy sequences of all time. The initial mix of disbelief and disdain, the grudging admiration for Sivaji's talent after the questioning, the grief at losing the prize and the subsequent anger at Sivaji were all emotions that Nagesh brought out inimitably and together, they made it one of Tamil cinema's most memorable roles.

I'm more familiar with the movies where he was more than just a comedian. He had the central role in movies like Neerkkumizhi(where he played a terminally ill patient in a hospital), Edhirneechal(where he played an orphan in a large building housing many families) and Server Sundaram(where he played a waiter who went on to become a successful hero) and proved that he could make us cry just as well as he could make us laugh. Not that these directors never tapped his comic prowess. He was hilarious as the husband in one of the three moviestar-obsessed couples in KB's Bama Vijayam and as the aspiring director in Sridhar's Kaadhalikka Neramillai(his narration of a horror story to a scared Balaiah is another of Tamil cinema's unforgettable comedy segments).

If it was KB who gave Nagesh his best roles earlier, it was his student Kamal who gave him his most memorable roles in the last stage of his career. Whether it was playing a villain in a comic vein that went perfectly with the film's tone in Aboorva SagodharargaL, a greedy manager in Michael Madana Kamarajan, a father broken-hearted by his daughter's suicide in Nammavar or a drunk make-up artist in Avvai Shanmugi, Nagesh brought his experience and unique portrayal to every role and made it his own. So it was fitting that he was last seen in Kamal's Dasaavathaaram.

Nagesh may have passed away but the laughs he gave us will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in peace...