Everyone's favourite punching bag, however, underwent a gradual transformation with Thooral Ninnu Pochu (1981), a Bhagyaraj film, where he played a benevolent grandfather who also happened to be a silambam exponent.
From harsh villain to soft-spoken grandpa, the role was quite a leap -- but here again, naysayers were surprised at how easily he fit into the role.
So began another saga: the horrible evil-doer was now the mild-mannered uncle, father or mentor everyone yearned for, and he played these characters with great effect.
There was a real kindness in his eyes that varied greatly with his caricatured villain roles that he'd played so far. His portrayal in Gentleman (1993), as the guardian of an emotionally troubled Arjun won him much applause, heralding another round of benign roles.
However, this transformation also raised another question that had been lying dormant for quite some time - whether his genuine austere look, stern voice tempered with affection and the gleam in his eyes were his real life traits.
Also See: Lal Jose's Tamil debut
Advertisement
