Malayalam actor Shanavas, the son of one of Indian cinema’s earliest and most popular superstars, Prem Nazir, has passed away at the age of 71. He had been undergoing treatment for kidney and heart-related ailments for many years. Shanavas breathed his last at a private hospital in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, late on Monday evening.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram as the son of Prem Nazir and his wife Habeeba Beevi, Shanavas obtained a master’s degree in English literature from The New College, Chennai, before venturing into cinema. Subsequently, he made his debut in filmmaker Balachandra Menon’s Prema Geethangal (1981). Although this was Nazir’s final decade in cinema, after having reigned over the industry for 30 years, he was highly active at the time Shanavas made his debut. Despite the emergence of many new talents in Malayalam cinema during this period, Nazir’s position remained unshaken in the hearts of film lovers, which indirectly helped Shanavas gain attention.
In the subsequent years, Shanavas worked in movies headlined by legends such as his father Prem Nazir, “Hitmaker” Sasikumar, MG Soman, Sreekumaran Thampi, Ambareesh, Srividya, Sukumaran, Madhu, Silk Smitha, Joshiy and T Damodaran. He also appeared in films such as Koritharicha Naal, Gaanam, Ivan Oru Simham, Rathilayam and Himam. Although he played notable parts in quite a few movies, Shanavas never managed to leave a lasting impact.
#PremNazir with wife Habiba Beevi and children Shanavas, Laila Rasiya and Reetha. pic.twitter.com/tGnFwTe34Q
— Prem Nazir – A life in Images (@PremNazirology) May 13, 2020
By the mid-1980s, his career had begun to dry up and offers declined significantly. Following 1991, Shanavas took a long hiatus that lasted over two decades. He later made a comeback in the early 2010s, and appeared in movies like China Town, Oridathoru Postman and Kanyakumari Express, headlined by stars like Mohanlal, Jayaram, Dileep, Suresh Gopi, Kunchacko Boban and R Sarathkumar. Shanavas was last seen in director Dijo Jose Antony’s Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suraj Venjaramoodu-starrer Jana Gana Mana (2022). Besides movies, he also worked in several television serials like Shankhumukham, Velutha Kathreena, Kadamatathu Kathanar and Sathyameva Jayathe.
Shanavas is survived by his wife Ayesha Abdul Aziz, sons Ajith Khan and Shameer Khan, and daughter-in-law Hana, OnManorama reported. His funeral will be held at the Palayam Muslim Jamaath Cemetery on Tuesday evening.
