‘Hello Mr Pereira’

KOCHI: “Hello Mr Pereira”. This dialogue was uttered by an antagonist of a commercial Malayalam flick three decades ago. Years hence, it remains a smashing hit. It was the dialect and the villainous tone in that voice, rendered by actor Jose Prakash that made the dialogue popular. Later, imitating that voice became a hot item in comedy shows as well. It is, in other words, a recognition for the actor  who passed away on Saturday.
Jose Prakash, who started his acting career through movies like ‘Snapaka Yohannan’ and ‘Bhaktha Kuchela’ switched to villain roles through ‘Olavum Theeravum’ (1970). This movie directed by P N Menon is considered as one of the milestones in Malayalam Cinema. The excellent portrayal of the role Kunjali, the villain of the movie, made Jose Prakash the favorite choice for villain roles.At a time when Malayalm cinema depended on other language actors for portraying the role of cruel antagonists, Jose Prakash made a place for himself by giving a new dimension to the villain image of the viewers.
He chilled the audience with the portrayal of  “aristocratic” villain roles. Clad in suits, coats, night gowns and with a lit pipe, he gave cruel orders to his goons.
The emotions he rendered to the characters were too intense that people used to get scared when he was introduced on screen. That fear among the viewers itself is a great reputation to the actor, who in real life is saintly and friendly.
His characters such as Joseph Chacko in ‘Lisa’, Major Nair in ‘Raktham’ and K G Menon in ‘Manushya Mrugam’ won him wide applause.
He was a also a regular face in the movies produced by his brother Prem Prakash, under the banner Prakash Movie Tone, and also those scripted by his nephew Dennis Joseph.
In the beginning of 90s, Jose Prakash switched himself to character roles like the priest in ‘Kottayam Kunjachan’ and ‘Akashadoothu’ and the news editor in ‘Pathram’. His last appearance was in ‘Traffic’, released in January 2011, in which he plays the role of Dr Simon D’souza, a hospital chairman. It was penned by Bobby and Sanjay, his brother’s sons.