Biography

Prem Nawas (born Abdul Wahab) was an Indian actor and producer in Malayalam cinema, and the younger brother of Malayalam cinema actor Prem Nazir. His parents were Shahul Hameed and Asmabeevi. He lost his mother at a very young age, and his father remarried. He moved to Madras, before his brother, in search of a film career. He debuted as the hero of Koodapirappu in 1956. He was the hero in the first colour film made in Malayalam, Kandam Becha Kottu. He also played an important role in the blockbuster 1974 film Nellu, directed by Ramu Kariyattu. When he found he could not succeed as well as his brother as an actor, he turned to producing films. He produced the award-winning blockbuster Agniputhri (1967), starring his brother and Sheela, the evergreen pair of Malayalam cinema. His son Prem Kishore was an actor as well, and appeared in two Malayalam films, Vacation and Thaskara Puthran.

Prem Nawas died in a train accident in Madras on March 27, 1992, at age 60.