Jose Prakash
Jose Prakash, the grand old man of Malayalam films, died yesterday at a private hospital in Kochi, his family said. Prakash, 86, will be remembered for his villainous roles in which he smoked a pipe and wore jackets - giving Malayalam films a touch of Hollywood way back in the late seventies. Prakash initially took up singing after voluntary retirement from the British Indian Army. He formed the Kottayam Arts Club, which was basically a musical troupe and in 1953 he sang for the first time in the film Sheriyo Thetto.
It was in 1961 that he got his first break in the film Bhakta Kuchela and in 1969 he became the most sought after villain after his role in Olavum Theeravum. There was no looking back for the veteran who has done nearly 400 films, including in Tamil. His last film was Traffic that was released last year.