Naghaichchuvai Mannan” (King of Comedy) Nagesh who passed away in Chennai on Jan 31st 2009 would have become an Octogenarian this year had he been among the living.. He was born on September 27th 1933.

Nagesh was the undisputed king of comedians in Tamil cinema from the early sixties to mid-seventies of the previous century.

Narayani Ganesh is a Delhi-based senior journalist, who has recently authored a book on her father, Gemini Ganesan, titled Eternal Romantic: My Father, Gemini Ganesan (Roli Books).

Needless to say, that Gemini Ganesan was the reigning superstar of Tamil cinema. And, perhaps, keeping that in mind, this book was first released in Chennai by actor Kamal Haasan.

Friday the 12th marked the 75th birth anniversary of Jaishankar. In his heyday, Jai, as he was known, was hailed as Tamil cinema’s answer to James Bond. Action was his forte, till K. Balachander saw his potential and honed him as a performer par excellence in Nootrukku Nooru. And it was KB again who brought out Jai’s youthful enthusiasm to the fore in Poovaa Thalaiyaa. After more than a 100 films as hero, Jaishankar went on to work in several films as a character actor. Years have rolled by but even today his directors and colleagues in the film industry remember the actor’s generosity and humaneness as much as they do his friendliness and zest …

He chooses his films carefully and makes an impact with each new release. R. Madhavan is all set to reprise his role as Manu in Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Excerpts from an interview:

His father, VD Swamy, was an industrialist and his mother, Vasantha, a Bharatnatyam dancer, but young Arvind Swamy showed no interest in either business or arts. He wanted to be a doctor and modelled for pocket money. Mani Ratnam saw him in an ad and in 1991, launched him in the Tamil film, ‘Thalapathi’. A year later, Ratnam introduced him to a pan-India audience in ‘Roja’. ‘Bombay’ followed, and suddenly, the suave, South Indian actor with the soulful eyes and gentle smile, was every woman’s poster boy.