Prem Nazir would have turned 90 today. His star power seems immortal as the city gears up to celebrate the evergreen hero’s 90th birthday with a mega event organised by Prem Nazir Foundation at Nishagandhi Auditorium today. Many of his yesteryear female co-stars are set to grace the stage in what is likely to be a star-studded event.
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Even when there isn’t a single memorial in his name in Kerala or the city, the first superstar of Malayalam remains a crowd puller. So what is the secret behind his mass appeal even after 28 years of his demise? His histrionics on screen might seem melodramatic for a new generation of film buffs. But many enjoy watching his black and white movies on TV. For many Keralites, it is Nazir who sings songs like Swapnangal and Chettikkulangara rather than KJ Yesudas.
For his loyal fans, Prem Nazir continues to be an irresistible attraction. “I still remember the crowd at New Theatre on the first day of the 1980 movie
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Mass appeal
“Critics did not consider his acting to be on par with Sathyan or Madhu. But his inimitable style and sporting spirit were adored by movie-goers. His screen presence and mass appeal were unrivalled. However, he rarely got roles that challenged the actor in him. When he did get such opportunities, he did justice to the characters, like, for instance, Velayudhan from P Bhaskaran’s Iruttinte Aathmavu , which was written by MT Vasudevan Nair,” says Girish.
Iruttinte Aathmavu (1967) set a trend of low-budget movies in Malayalam film industry and is said to have narrowly missed that year’s National award for best film and best actor for Nazir.
Although primarily a romantic hero, he had no qualms of doing negative characters, once in a while, such as Kunjachan Muthalali in Azhakulla Saleena and Raveendran in Nizhalattam .
Comic timing
In the 80s when he was no longer the major star, Nazir was comfortable playing supporting roles. His comic timing was excellent and was put to brilliant use by Balachandra Menon in his movies such as Kaaryam Nissaram and Prashnam Gurutharam . Arguably, some of the best performances of his career was during this period. His only state award for acting was in 1981 when he got the special jury award for his role as a tough, workaholic manager in Vida Parayum Munpe .
“Actor Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair once said that Nazir has a face that we will never get tired of and that was his success. I believe he had a humane face that transcended across age groups,” says Mohanan Nair, who along with his friend, K Sivaprasad, are huge Nazir fans.
They were able to meet the actor a few times. The two say they had watched four Nazir movies a day, back when there were multiple releases on festive occasions like Onam. Sivaprasad still recalls how glad Nazir was to pose with them for individual photographs at 5 am at the hotel where he stayed, just before leaving for a shoot at Neyyar dam.
For many like Mohanan and Sivaprasad, Nazir was more than just an actor they loved. A sentiment echoed by K Ramakrishnan Nair, an employee at Sree Kumar-Sree Vishak theatre complex, who was the right-hand man of Subramaniam. Ramakrishnan says: “He always talked politely and had a smile on his face. Even when he saw someone make a mistake, instead of being angry, he would just politely point it out.”
Nazir was a great humanitarian as well, who contributed greatly to his village Chirayinkeezhu, both financially and culturally. A staunch secularist, he donated an elephant to Sharkara Bhagavathi Temple at Chirayinkeezhu.
All through his career till his last movie Dhwani , Prem Nazir never forgot his humble beginnings and was someone who was eternally thankful to people who have helped him. Subramanium and Merryland studios had a huge part in powering Nazir to stardom, and he had a special relationship with Subramaniam.
“Nazir was just like a family member. Even after he stopped doing movies for Merryland, he used to visit grandfather whenever he was in the city,” says Girish.
Bond with Thikkurissy
Nazir had acted in over 20 films of Merryland starting with Ponkathir (1953). Similarly he had a deep bond with Thikkurissy who gave Abdul Khader the screen name ‘Prem Nazir’. Girish adds: “I remember one of Thikkurissy sir’s interview where he talks about an incident. Nazir had bought a new car once. He brought the car straight to Thikkurissy’s home at Jawahar Nagar and asked him to get in. Nazir then took him for a ride and then dropped him back. He wanted Thikkurissy chettan to be the first person to travel in the car before he took it home to Chirayinkeezhu to show his family.” That was the quintessential Prem Nazir!
Short takes
* Thyagaseema , the first movie Nazir acted in, never got released. His next movie, Marumakal (1951) , was his first release.
* Nazir has done double roles in more than 30 films and triple roles in three.
* He holds the record for having starred as lead actor in the most number of movies.
* Prem Nazir and Sheila holds the record for acting as lead actor and actress in most number of movies.