But those who believed he'd run his gamut and would peter out as he aged, waited in vain. For this was the beginning of a glorious new reign; one which saw Nagesh slowly transform from regulation side-kick to older characters.
Playing father, mentor, brother and even villain came easily to him. Who would have thought he'd make such a suave fiend in Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989)?
It was also from this point that his onscreen chemistry with Kamal Haasan came to the fore, as evident from the 1994 movie Nammavar, where he played a bedraggled college lecturer whose daughter commits suicide. So perfect was his performance that viewers came away with tears in their eyes. The performance won him a Silver Lotus Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Then there was Avvai Shanmughi (1996) as well. Here he was Joseph, a happy-go-lucky alcoholic make-up guy. And how can anyone forget his brilliant act as the corpse in Magalir Mattum (1993)?
Image: Nagesh with Kamal Haasan, actress Gautami (right) and family, along with director K S Ravi Kumar (left) and comedienne Manorama
Also Read: The best of Kamal Haasan
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