January 31st, 2009
Chennai, Veteran comedian Nagesh, who carved a niche for himself in the Tamil film industry both in humourous and character roles, died here today after a brief illness, family sources said.
Born as Gundu Rao to a Kannada Brahmin family in 1933, Nagesh was the most sought after actor in the MGR-Sivaji era of Tamil cinema in the 1960s and mid-seventies, and was a regular feature in the movies of these late superstars.
Nagesh, who was suffering from prolonged illness, breathed his last at his residence.
A 1000-film veteran, Nagesh was known for his timing and intonation that had the audience in splits. Even in serious movies, his roles were well-appreciated.
Nagesh has played some memorable characters. His role in ’Thiruvilaiyadal’ as Dharumi, a poet struggling to make ends meet and who gets a tete-a-tete with Lord Shiva, and as aspiring director Chellappa in ’Kadhalikaa Neramillai,’ are still remembered by Tamil movie-goers.
The actor also proved his mettle with serious roles in films like ’Ethirneechal’ and ’Neerkumizhi,’ besides playing the villain in Kamal Hassan starrer ’Apporva Sagotharagal,’ dubbed in Hindi as ’Appu Raja.’
