Prem Nazir charmed the Malayali moviegoer like no actor ever did. He was the original superstar of Malayalam cinema and he romanced more beautiful women on screen than any other hero, perhaps in any language.
His last film, Dhwani , may have been released in 1989, but his fans continue to swear by him. Rajan Othavancheri is one such die-hard fan and he has chosen a novel way to pay a tribute to Nazir, whose 26{+t}{+h}death anniversary falls on January 16.
He has painted 26 of Nazir’s famous characters. Those paintings, done in acrylic, are on display at the Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery here.
Nazir’s undeniably handsome face was a canvas that could easily be moulded into different characters. The exhibition is another reminder of that fact, as you could see Nazir as Lord Krishna ( Krishna Kuchela ), Poonthanam ( Krishna Guruvayurappa) Alibaba ( Alibabayum 41 Kallanmarum ), folk hero ( Kannappanunni ), police officer ( CID Nazir ), Russian scientist ( Neelaponman ), Velayudhan ( Iruttinte Athmavu ), Govindankutty ( Asuravithu ) and even as a woman ( Ithikkara Pakki ).
The paintings would also take you back to a bygone era of cinema, when posters were largely paintings. There are some paintings in black-and-white and sepia tone as well.
“I wanted to recreate the period of Nazir’s films,” says Rajan. “I have worked on these paintings for six months. I was not sure whether I would be able to come with such a tribute to my idol, but my wife Meghana, who is also a Nazir fan, egged me on.”
This is his first ever exhibition. “I am glad that my maiden exhibition is all about Nazir,” he says. “I have seen most of his films and could even see him on a couple of occasions when he came to Kozhikode for the shoot of his films, such as Attimari .”
The exhibition, organised by Prem Nazir Samskarika Vedi, concludes on January 10.
Rajan Othavancheri’s 26 paintings on Prem Nazir’s famous characters are on display at the Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode.
