Balakrishnan Nair

Balan K. Nair was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Malayalam cinema. He was known for his roles as a villain or a strong character in many films. He started his acting career at the age of 14, when he joined the Sangamam Theatre in Kozhikode. He later worked with other drama troupes and also established his own theatre group, Subash Theaters. He made his film debut in 1970 with Nizhalattam, directed by A. Vincent. He acted in more than 300 films in Malayalam and other languages, such as Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. He was a versatile actor who could portray different emotions and personalities with ease. He was also a good singer and sang some songs in his films. Balan K. Nair won several awards and accolades for his acting. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1981 for his performance as Govindan, a reformed military officer, in the film Oppol. He also won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor twice, in 1974 for Adhiti and in 1978 for Thacholi Ambu. He was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam) in 1982 for Ahimsa. Some of his other notable films are Ee Naadu, Aaryan, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Karnan, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, and Sri Krishnadevaraya. He was admired by the audiences and the critics alike for his powerful and realistic acting. Balan K. Nair was married to Sharada and had a son, Meghanathan, who is also an actor. He died of multiple myeloma on 26 August 2000 at the age of 67 in Thiruvananthapuram. His death was mourned by the film industry and his fans, who remembered him as one of the finest actors of Malayalam cinema.