On Tuesday morning, Telugu cinema lost one of its gems. Actor, Jaya Prakash Reddy who was known for his villainous and comedic roles, passed away at the age of 74. He died due to a massive cardiac arrest, at his home in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
Usually, actors make their debuts into films at an early age, though Jaya had a different route. He first worked as a sub-inspector in the police, when he reached his 40s an opportunity to act in films came knocking at his door.
In 1988, he made his debut with the Venkatesh starring film, Brahma Puthrudu. It took him 10 years, however, to make an impact on the movie-going Telugu audience. In 1999, 11 years after his debut, Jaya starred as a villain in Nandamuri Balakrishna starrer, Samarasimha Reddy. From then on his fortune changed.
As a villain who spoke in fluent Rayalaseema-slang, Jaya Prakash won over the audience, who termed his performance flawless and thus started his road to fame in Telugu cinema. His ease of speaking any Telugu slang made him popular and the first choice for many directors in their films.
His flair for acting was not only limited to playing villains, he also did several roles of a comedian in films. Notable amongst them was the role of a village hot head, which he did in the 2008 film, Ready. He was widely praised for his comedic turn in the film. The film got a remake in Tamil, titled Uthamaputhiran, which was released two years after the original film and starred Dhanush. Jaya reprised his role in the remake too.
For the Tamil remake of Ready, Jaya dubbed himself in Tamil. Jaya also starred in a few Tamil films such as Aaru and Anjaneya.
An impeccable actor, who did close to 100 films, Jaya had a taste for acting. He was what they call, a man of many talents. He can be funny, dangerous, and goofy, all in one scene. His talent will forever be missed in Telugu cinema.
While he is no more now, he has left his wife Radha and two sons, Niranjan and Dushyanth behind him. There will indeed never be another Jaya Prakash Reddy in cinema again.