Nagesh - The Legendary Comedian of Tamil Cinema

Nagesh

Nagesh, was a National Award winning Tamil film actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian during the 1960s. He is regarded as one of the most prolific comedians in Tamil cinema. 

Born: September 27, 1933, Dharapuram

Died: January 31, 2009, Chennai

Spouse: Regina Rao 

Children: Anand Babu, Rajesh Babu, Ramesh Babu

Parents: Krishna Rao, Rukmaniamma Rao

Nagesh (born Nageswaran C. Krishna Gundu Rao; 27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009), was a National Award winning Tamil film actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian during the 1960s. He is regarded as one of the most prolific comedians in Tamil cinema. He acted in over 1,000 films from 1958 to 2008, performing in variety of roles as comedian, lead roles, supporting actor and antagonist. Nagesh's style of comedy was largely inspired by Hollywood actor Jerry Lewis. Similarities between Nagesh and Lewis earned Nagesh the sobriquet "Jerry Lewis of India".

Early Days of Nagesh

Early in his life, he saw a Tamil play Kamba Ramayanam enacted by his colleagues, and felt that he could do a good job. He persuaded the secretary of the Railways cultural association to give him the role of a man suffering from stomach pain. MGR, then chief guest, seeing this play, in his speech praised Nagesh for his performance. From then onwards, Nagesh played small roles in various drama troupes.

In 1958, producer Balaji spotted Nagesh and gave him his first break in a film called Manamulla Marudhaaram. The film did not do well at the box office. Moreover, Nagesh had only a small role to play in the movie. In 1960, Nagesh made his debut in Kannada with Makkala Rajya.

Nagesh won critical acclaim for his performance in the 1961 movie Thayilla Pillai. But it was his 1962 hit Nenjil Oru Aalayam which launched his career in the Tamil film industry. Nagesh was seen playing the lead role in Server Sundaram(1964) directed by K. Balachander. The movie was a remarkable hit and proved to be a great turning point in his career. The song from this film Avalukenna.. Azhagiya Mugam.... still famous with youth.