Actor Shanawas who has appeared in nearly 100 films in Malayalam and Tamil language passed away at the age of 71. He was the son of the legendary Malayalam superstar Prem Nazir
Shanawas and Prem Nazir
Noted Malayalam film and TV actor Shanawas died at a private hospital here following some prolonged health issues late Monday night, family sources said. He was 71. Son of evergreen actor Prem Nazir, Shanawas had been suffering from some serious ailments for some time, and he was shifted to the hospital after his condition turned worse, they said. He is survived by his wife Ayesha and their two sons. The funeral will take place at the Palayam Muslim Jamaat Cemetery on August 5.
Shanawas's acting career
After beginning his acting career through Balachandra Menon-directed Premageethangal, he acted in over 50 films in Malayalam and appeared in some television serials. Mazhanilavu, Neelagiri, Manithali, Gaanam, Aazhi, Human and so on were among his notable movies. After a break, Shanawas came back to the tinsel town through Mohanlal-starrer China Town.
He was last seen in Prithviraj's 2022 blockbuster movie Jana Gana Mana. People from various walks of life, including General Education Minister V Sivankutty, condoled his death.
Who was Prem Nazir?
Shanawas was the son of the legendary actor Prem Nazir who himself passed away in 1989 at the age of 59. He made his film debut in 1952 with the movie Marumakal directed by SK Chari and produced by Paul Kallunga. Before that, he had won an award for playing the role of Shylock in the play The Merchant of Venice during his time in college.
However, his breakthrough performance came with his second film titled Visappinte Vili in 1952. It was made by Telugu filmmaker Mohan Ra for K&K Combines (Udaya Studio). It was during the shooting of this film that he got the stage name of Prem Nazir by Thikkurussi Sukumaran Nair.
He had a string of records which included the Guinness World Records for playing opposite the same heroine in 130 films (Sheela), and previously held the record for playing the lead role in a record 720 films.
He also holds two other records, for acting opposite 80 heroines and for acting in lead roles in 30 films which were released in a single year (1973 and 1977).
Another record of his is, he played double roles in a record 40 films. He has shared screen space with the present generation superstars Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, among others.
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