The vice-like grip of cinema on the masses of TN is an obvious reality. Indeed, it is a genetic obsession here. Yet, I have no qualms in admitting that I too have been bitten by that omnipotent bug. Though I fancy myself as a connoisseur and not a fanatic fan/voter w.r.t film artistes and films, I am aware the distinction is very fine. And in a State where politics and cinema run parallel, you cant claim to know one without knowing about the other. Aah, having thus built up failsafe alibis, let me now delve into the celluloid passions that determinedly my evolution. Needless to add, the demise of ace actor Nagesh is the immediate provocation for this nostalgic diversion.
By the time I was twelve in the mid-seventies, the cine generation had been overhauled. MGR and Sivaji were passe and Kamal and Rajini were in. MSV, TMS and P Susheela were being replaced by Ilayaraja, SPB and Janaki. Though, Kannadasan and Valee continued to hold fort, the waning popularity of their decades-long co-artistes was telling on their prowess too. Indeed, one would think at such an impressionable age I would naturally take to the new gen. But somehow the old seemed to me like pure gold; and as I grew, I only went deeper into time. The rusting Weston flat tape recorder would be placed precariously in front of the Murphy radio speaker to grab the unannounced rendering of a TMS song and the frantic press of the red button would happen almost always a moment after the song had started, much to my consternation for I would not like to miss even that one syllable. And alas, that would also be the time when the clock chimed nine, an addition to the orchestration that MSV would not have conceived. Of course, all these problems were largely solved after the advent of the two-in-one and recording shops. My collection has swelled, but my hunger remains insatiable for that treasure trove remains inexhaustible.
Nagesh belonged to that vintage generation. He too started fading after the aforesaid timeline, but even when past his prime his roles in some movies, particularly the later-day Kamal movies, were stand outs. But when he reigned he reigned supreme. Tamil filmdom can boast of a long line of great comedians and Nagesh towers as an emperor among those kings. Though each one had his own signature mannersim and style and was a legend in his own right, Nagesh was easily the most versatile. The frail figure contained such immense volume of talent. And laughter alone was not his forte: pathos came to him as easily. And he was a hero too. In fact, he defied all physical defintions of a hero to excel in many movies as the prima donna. And no one cringed … because it was Nagesh.
And he was prolific. He was a fixture in almost every movie of the sixties and it is a wonder how he managed it. The man must have slogged round the clock and calendar to humour the world. He could adapt to any theme; a period picture was as much a cake walk as was a social movie. He could easily melt into the script and gel with the rest of the cast and still stand out with his uniqueness. MGR and Sivaji were no mean heroes and to be remembered in their movies is no ordinary feat. Quick wit and timing were innate in his character, but there was something else that endeared him to the audience: innocence. While his very appearance evoked ripples, it also brought about a motherly sympathy for an underdog son. Even the villainous Vaithi caused less anger and more of rip-roaring laughter. For once the women and children were not scared of the villain!
He was quite contemporary and changed with the times. Often, he was ahead of it. Though himself a fan of Jerry Lewis, Nagesh was original and a trend-setter. He could mix body language and voice modulation into a variety of combinations. He could be polished or slapstick. He could be subtle or noisy. He could render long winding dialogues and tickle you with just a bat of the eyelid. He could be so nuanced as to attract the critic and at the same time appeal to the frontbencher. Indeed, a viewing of his old clipping would seem and sound as evergreen and modern without a hint of the sepia!
Nagesh shares the āhonoursā along with Sivaji Ganesan in not being conferred the National Best Actor award even once. That of course, is no measure of their greatness, but the failed recognition does prove a thing or two about the mandarins who lord over the awards and their methods and motives. During an interview with Sivaji, I had asked him why he did not bother to direct. The thespian simply said he only did what his directors asked him to and knew nothing else about acting or directing! Such sterling humility was Nageshās quality too for I have never heard him talk about the art of acting. After all, the proof of the pudding is on the screen. This is in sharp contrast to the present day wherein even one-movie-wonders wax eloquent on their own performance even before the movie had hit the theatres!
If imitation is flattery, thatās not for Nagesh. Every other actor in Tamil filmdom has been mimicked but not Nagesh. Indeed, he had survived the sad caricaturing that many of past greats are being subjected to in the name of talent shows and remixes. After, hearing a remixed song of TMS, I was so agitated at the āsacrilegeā that I got back home to take a āhead bathā and listen to the original a few times to get rid of the āsinā! Indeed, with ideas running out official plagiarism has become the norm. Such predicaments were there for Nagesh too. But he reinvented himself, not regurgitate the old stuff. Reason why thereās none like him, before or after!
I can still nod, if not rock, to A R Rahman. Vivek and Vadivelu do tickle my rib. Indeed, I have to keep pace with the progeny if only to stay relevant and more important, be on talking terms. But at core, I remain a nostalgic nut who sees more worth in the old gold. So when solititude takes over, the soul needs quenching. In a jiffy I am back in familiar territory: The world of MGR, Sivaji, Nagesh, MSV, TMS, Susheela, Kannadasan, Valee … . The skylines may change, the sky may take on different hues. And there could a galaxy out there. But some stars shine brighter and for ever …
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