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 1974 blockbuster Nellu, directed by Ramu Kariyattu. When he found out 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. Prem Nawas died in a train accident in Madras on March 27, 1992, at age 60.