JB is and has been the biggest non-actor in godforsaken non-artistic dead Telugu film industry, which is full of people like him. You are calling his mannerisms 'subtle'. You are out of your mind.
Jagapathi Babu's reinvention has always fascinated me. During my time as a young whipper-snapper, I lived in a house with aunts who swooned over his film roles and personality a la those women in the opening montage of Desamuduru. No one however can stay a heartthrob forever, and I was keen to see what the next chapter in his career would be. Would he turn an ageing actor clinging on to the image of his prime or would he choose to metamorphose into a character actor who added gravitas to the films he chose to appear in? And how would he manage to pull off whatever choice he made?