[tgs]

Gounder excelled in slapstick too. But to remember him only for the kicks would be missing his point altogether. The signature kick reflected an attitude of irreverence that lifted his comedy to a new level. It is always going to be deifficult to compare acropss ages. Though I have enjoyed and laughed with most across the ages, GM is the only man who has me laughing out loud, laughing when I recall scenes and so on.

Many people share your opinion that he was loud and generally helped lowered the bar. That is really unfortunate. His sense of timing, ability to generate humour even in the complete absence of funny lines, fantastic voice modulation (something Senthil shares ably) set him apart. Truly one of the most under-appreciated talent in the history of Tamil Films. There are some small and noble efforts trying to offset that.

IMO, NSK is an acquired taste. I didn't like him initially vis-a-vis Nagesh. It took me a while to get a hang of his style etc. Now I can never get enough of some sequences, like the competition song with MGR in Chakravarthi ThirumgaL. But with Gounder there is no such thing as acquired taste. It is a hit or miss.