KOCHI: A bad guy on the screen for the audience and a good human being off the screen for his companions, Jose Prakash had, in fact, nurtured the dream of becoming an actor at a young age. The passion was burning bright even after Joseph aka Baby joined the Army, and eventually he heeded the inner calling to join the tinsel town to become the dreaded ‘Jose Prakash’. Born to K J Joseph and Eliyamma in Kottayam in 1925, he showed a liking for films even at a young age. The devotion prompted young Joseph to leave the house after his father beat him up for watching movie. He later joined the British army, where he served for nearly nine years. Though after returning to his home town in the early 50s he started a business, Joseph was not ready to break his bond with art. This led to the formation of Kottayam Arts Club along with his friends.Blessed with a good voice, he became the lead singer of the club. The life of singer Joseph took a new turn after his association with the late Thikkurussi Sukumaran Nair. Thikkurissi happened to watch Joseph’s performance during a function at Thirunakkara ground in Kottayam. He liked Joseph’s voice and called him to Madras for an audition. There he was introduced to music director V Dakshinamoorthy, which paved the way for his entry into the Malayalam film industry as a singer in Thikkurussi’s directorial debut ‘Sheriyo Thetto’ (1953). It was Thikkurussi who rechristened him Jose Prakash. Even during his stint as a singer, he got chances to do cameos and guest appearances in some films. He had also lent his voice for actors like Prem Nazir, Sathyan and many other leading actors.Gradually major roles came his way. He got his first notable role in ‘Snapakayohannan’, directed by Sasikumar. But his first break as an actor was ‘Bhakta Kuchela’ (1961), which marked the beginning of a notable career that lasted for more than four decades.But after the movie ‘Ente Veedu Appoonteyum’ (2003), his health started deteriorating. He was an acute diabetes patient and his leg was amputated. This sophisticated villain had acted in over 350 films and his last onscreen appearance was for the movie ‘Traffic’ in 2011.
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