THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kundara Johnny who had been unwell recently visited a hospital in Kollam with his wife Stella. During the consultation when the doctor discussed his condition, the doctor chuckled. When asked about the reason for his laughter, the doctor replied, "I recalled the iconic scene featuring Thilakan and Johnny in the movie 'Nadodikattu.'

While Johnny often portrayed antagonistic characters in their films their roles in movies like 'Nadodikattu,' 'Peruvannapurathe Visheshman,' 'Godfather' and a few others were comical. Johnny's portrayal of the dim-witted villain character named Varghese in 'Nadodikattu' still tickles Malayali audiences with many humorous references and jokes circulating about it.

Johnny's career spanned 44 years during which he acted in 517 films. He made his debut in the film industry in 1979 with 'Nityavasantham.' Interestingly, he stumbled into acting while searching for employment as a mathematics teacher and sales executive in a parallel college after completing his graduation. The movie was directed by Sasikumar. When he expressed his interest in acting, he was encouraged to come to Madras. In his debut, he played the role of the company's managing director during an interview with the protagonist, Vincent. This chance marked the beginning of Johnny's acting career leading him to become the leading man opposite the then-number-one heroine Sheela.

Owing to his unique physical appearance, Johnny often found himself cast in tough guy roles. However, he did manage to secure roles with more substantial acting depth in movies such as 'Kireedam,' 'Chengkol,' 'Sagaram Sakshi' and of course, 'Nadodikkattu.' His final film appearance was in 'Meppadiyan.'