Nagesh
Nagesh (born Nageswaran C. Krishna Gundu Rao) 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 a 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 life
Nagesh was born as Gundu Rao to Krishna Rao and Rukmaniamma in 1933. He was born in Dharapuram, now in Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu.
He left Dharapuram at an early age and moved to Madras city in search of a career. His roommates, the writer Vaali and director Sridhar, later became established themselves as prominent personalities in the Tamil cinema field. He worked as a clerk in the Indian Railways.
Film career
Early career
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 railway's 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.
