| M.N.Nambiar | |
|---|---|
M.N.Nambiar with long time friend and actor-politician M.G. Ramachandran |
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| Born | Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar March 5, 1919 Kannur, Kerala, India |
| Died | 19 November 2008 (aged 89) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Spouse | Rukmani |
M. N. Nambiar ( (Tamil: எம். என். நம்பியார்)(Malayalam: എം എന് നമ്പ്യാര്)(born Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar 5 March 1919 — 19 November 2008) was a film actor in Tamil cinema and had been in the film industry for more than 50 years.
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Born on 5 March 1919 in Cherukunnu, Kannur in a Nambiar family of North Malabar, he moved to live with his sister in Ooty. He became interested in acting when he was 13 and he joined Nawab Rajamanikkam's troupe. From then on acting became the only thing that occupied him. His first film was 'Bhaktha Ramadoss', shot in 1935 in Hindi and Tamil, where he played a villain.
Though he started as a hero but started donning the role of a villain - so much so that today his name is almost eponymous with the Kollywood villain. Nambiar has worked with seven generations of actors from Balaiyah to Manoj (Bharathiraaja's son).
His first pay was Rs.3 in the "Boys Company." He would retain Re 1 and send Rs.2 to his mother. A man of very limited needs, he has not eaten outside of his house. He is extremely health conscious.
He made quite a statement in the early 50s with his portrayal of 11 roles in ‘Digambara Samiyar.’ His arresting performance in films such as ‘Manthiri Kumari,’ ‘Velaikkari,’ ‘Ayirathil Oruvan,’ ‘Thillana Mohanambal,’ ‘Missiamma’ and ‘Nenjam Marappadillai’ paved way for a very successful career that spanned over five decades.[1]
A majority of the more than 1000 films that he has done is in Tamil, though he has acted in Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, besides an English film `Jungle' (with Rod Cameron, the film's hero, directed by William Burke) in which he appears in a few brief scenes. The film was released in 1952. The Hindi film he acted in was a remake of the Tamil `Kanavane Kankanda Deivam.'
After becoming popular in Tamil films he started his own drama troupe called Nambiar Nataka Mandram. They staged two plays — `Kaviyin Kanavu' and a comedy play `Kalyana Supermarket.'
M.N. Nambiar was an ardent devotee of Sabarimala Sri Ayyappan. He has had a long association with the temple, and visited the shrine more than 65 years over the last half a century; this has led to him being called Maha Guruswamy.[2]
His favourite films remain `Aayirathil Oruvan' with MGR, `Ambikapathi' with Sivaji Ganesan, `Missiyamma' with Gemini Ganesan, `Nenjam Marappathillai' directed by Sridhar and `Thooral Ninu Pochu' with Bhagyaraj. This was the film that made him do character roles, something that he continued to do till his death. He also acted as hero in two films `Kalyani' and `Kavitha' produced by Modern Theatres.
He has done stage, films and also serials such as `Velan.' When it comes to acting, he supposedly likes all the actors; but of special mention are M. R. Radha and Savitri. Both, in his opinion, were brilliant in their own way.
He died in Chennai on 19 November 2008.
This is complete list of his films. .
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Bhaktha Ramadas | Tamil | Debut film |
| 1948 | Abhimanyu | Tamil | |
| 1949 | Velaikaari | Tamil | |
| 1950 | Manthiri Kumari | Tamil | Rajaguru |
| 1951 | Marmayogi | Tamil | |
| 1951 | Sarvadhikari | Tamil | Remake of The Gallant Blade[3] |
| 1952 | Jungle | English | |
| 1953 | Petrathai | Tamil | |
| 1953 | Kanna Talli | Telugu | Sankar |
| 1956 | Amara Deepam | Tamil | |
| 1961 | Pasamalar | Tamil | |
| 1963 | Enga Veetu Pillai | ||
| 1964 | Uthama Puthiran | ||
| 1965 | Aayirathil Oruvan | Tamil | |
| 1966 | Thali Bhagyam | Tamil | |
| 1976 | Satyam | Tamil | |
| 1981 | Garjanai | ||
| 1982 | Thooral Ninnu Pochu | ||
| 1983 | Thai Veedu | Tamil | |
| 1984 | Naan Mahaan Alla | Tamil | |
| 1986 | Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu | Tamil | |
| 1993 | Gentleman | Tamil | |
| 1993 | Paasamalargal | Tamil | |
| 1993 | Yejaman | Tamil | |
| 1996 | Poove Unakkaga | Tamil | |
| 1997 | Vallal | ||
| 1999 | Rojavanam | Tamil | |
| 2001 | Vinnukkum Mannukkum | ||
| Varushellam Vasantham | |||
| 2002 | Baba | Tamil | |
| 2003 | Winner | Tamil | |
| 2004 | Arasatchi | Tamil | |
| 2006 | Sudesi | posthumous film |
Nambiar was suffering from age-related ailments for the past four months and breathed his last at his residence, family sources said. He is survived by his wife, 2 sons - one, a senior BJP leader Sukumar Nambiar, and the other, Mohan Nambiar, is a prominent businessman based in Coimbatore and a daughter, Sneha Nambiar.
“If there was anyone who could act with both the top heroes [Sivaji Ganesan and MGR] of Tamil cinema then, it was Nambiar. At one point, directors could not think of anyone else but him to play villain.”
“This is a very big loss…you cannot find a human being like him easily.”
“He was a villain only when the camera got rolling…otherwise, he’d always keep us laughing with his ready wit,”
“In ‘Nenjam Marappadillai,’ he plays a really old man…the makeup would take hours together, but he would be extremely patient. His skin was flawless and almost pink…he took great care of his health.”
“Nambiar sami was responsible for taking most of us in the industry to Sabarimalai”
“I have acted with him in several films. He would be very jovial and enthusiastic on the sets. When one worked with him, one forgot the burden of work. He was very fond of me and I always had great regard and respect for him. His passing away is a great loss indeed.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7737798.stm
He died on 19.11.2008