Prem Nazir
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Prem Nazir (December 26, 1926 - January 16, 1989; born Chiriyinkil Abdul Kader in Chiriyinkil, Trivandrum, Kerala, India) was a hero in Malayalam films and achieved a Guinness record for acting in the largest number of films with the same heroine, Sheela. He has acted in over 500 films. Also called the "Evergreen Star", he acted well into his old age. His last film was Dhwani.
In the film Iruttinte Atmavu, with a detailed screenplay by M.T. Vasudevan Nair, P. Bhaskaran could make one of the best films of his career and also provide Malayalam cinema with a new direction; that of the low budget film. One could see a lot of the pre-occupations of the scenarist, who carried the touches of human relationships through all of his subsequent films whether as screenplay writer or director. In spite of its large number of studio shots and overall theatricality, the film was so culturally rich that many of the episodes would become archetypes for future Malayalam film makers dealing with family drama. It depicted the story of an imbecile (finely portrayed by Prem Nazir) in a joint family with remarkable sensitivity and seriousness of purpose.
Prem Nazir's brother Prem Nawaz also acted in a few films. His son Shanawaz tried his luck at the box office, but could not become a big star like his father. He is back now on television.
A recored 39 films with Prem Nazir as hero were released in a single year - 1979. His association with playback signer Yesudas was just perfect. As of today, the Nazir - Yesudas combination of song sequences remains the best ever on screen.
There is an award given annually by Prem Nazir Foundation in his memory.
He tried his hand in politics and had joined the Congress Party but drew a blank in the elections.