Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar (7 March 1919 – 19 November 2008) was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
, known mostly for his villain roles in an eight decade long career. He has also appeared in a few
Malayalam film
Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...
s.
He appeared in many
MGR movies as a villain. Some of the famous ones include
Enga Veettu Pillai
''Enga Veettu Pillai'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language masala film written by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy and directed by Chanakya. A remake of his own 1964 Telugu film ''Ramudu Bheemudu'', it stars M. G. Ramachandran and B. Saroja Devi, with S ...
,
Aayirathil Oruvan,
Nadodi Mannan
''Nadodi Mannan'' () is a 1958 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action adventure film directed by M. G. Ramachandran in his debut as a filmmaker. He stars in dual roles alongside P. Bhanumathi, M. N. Rajam and B. Saroja Devi. P. S. Veerap ...
,
Naalai Namadhe,
Padagotti
''Padagotti'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language social problem film directed by T. Prakash Rao and produced by G. N. Velumani. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and B. Saroja Devi, with M. N. Nambiar, S. V. Ramadas, Nagesh, Manorama and Jay ...
,
Thirudathe
''Thirudathe'' () is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by P. Neelakantan. A remake of the Hindi film '' Pocket Maar'' (1956), it stars M. G. Ramachandran, B. Saroja Devi and M. N. Nambiar. The film, produced by V. Arunachalam, ha ...
,
En Annan
''En Annan'' (), is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film, directed by P. Neelakantan, starring M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. The film is a remake of the Telugu film '' Poola Rangadu'' (1967), which itself was loosely based ...
,
Kaavalkaaran
''Kaavalkaaran'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language spy action film, directed by P. Neelakantan and produced and co-written by R. M. Veerappan. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, with M. N. Nambiar, S. A. Ashokan, Sivakumar ...
and
Kudiyirundha Koyil
''Kudiyirundha Koyil'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language spy film directed by K. Shankar. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and Rajasree, with L. Vijayalakshmi, Pandari Bai, M. N. Nambiar, Sundarrajan, V. K. Ramasamy, S. V. Ra ...
.
Early life
Manjeri Narayan Nambiar was born on 7 March 1919 at Kandakkai near Mayyil in
Cannanore
Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a Cities in India, city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city a ...
(Kannur) in
North Malabar
North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad District, Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara, Koyilandy, and Thamarassery in the Kozhikode Distri ...
region of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. He was the son of Kelu Nambiar and Manjeri Kalyani Amma. While he was still a child, his father died. He later moved to live and study in
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
with his elder sister and brother-in-law. He became interested in acting when he was 13 and he joined Nawab Rajamanikkam's troupe. He learnt discipline here which is according to him the major life skill at Madurai Bala nada vinodha kana sabha. 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 as a comedian along with T.K.Sampangi.
Film career
Though he started as a hero, Nambiar soon started donning the role of a villain — so much so that today his name is synonymous with villainy in Kollywood. Nambiar has worked with seven generations of actors. His first pay was Rs.3 with ''Boys Company''. He would retain Rs.1 and send Rs.2 to his mother. A man of very limited needs, he has never eaten food not cooked by his wife, Rugmini Nambiar.
He made quite a statement in the early 50s with his portrayal of 11 roles in
Digambara Samiyar
''Thigambara Samiar'' () is 1950 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language thriller film produced and directed by T. R. Sundaram. An adaptation of Vaduvur Duraisami Iyengar, Vaduvoor K. Duraswamy Iyengar's novel of the same name, the film stars M. ...
, one of his films as the Lead. His arresting performance in films such as ''
Manthiri Kumari
''Manthiri Kumari'' () is a 1950 Indian Tamil-language historical fiction film directed by Ellis R. Dungan and starring M. G. Ramachandran, M. N. Nambiar.
Plot
The King of Mullai Nadu is dominated by his Raja guru (head priest) ( M. N. Nam ...
'', ''
Velaikaari
''Velaikari'' () is a 1949 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by A. S. A. Sami and produced by M. Somasundaram under Jupiter Pictures. It was based on the play of the same name written by C. N. Annadurai, while incorporating plot details ...
'', ''
Ayirathil Oruvan'', ''
Thillana Mohanambal
''Thillana Mohanambal'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language musical drama film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting ...
'', ''
Missiyamma'' and ''
Nenjam Marappadillai'' paved way for a very successful career that spanned over five decades.
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 `
The Jungle
''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers wer ...
' (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
''Kanavane Kankanda Deivam'' () is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language fantasy film directed by T. R. Raghunath and produced by Pattanna. The film stars R. Ganesh and Anjali Devi, with V. Nagayya, M. N. Nambiar, Friend Ramaswamy and Lalitha in sup ...
.'' 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 that rare contradictory personality - a cruel, charming villain on the silver screen while being a very pious man in real life. He was also a pure vegetarian and teetotaler. He was also an ardent devotee of Sabarimala Sri
Ayyappan
Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil.
Although devotion t ...
. He has had a long association with the temple, and visited the shrine more than 65 times over the last half a century; this has led to him being called Maha Guruswamy. His colleagues noted that he died during the famous Sabarimala season and it may be due to the blessing of his Lord.
His favourite films remain `
Aayirathil Oruvan' with
MGR M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987) was the Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
MGR may also refer to:
* ManaGeR (MGR), graphical window system
* Merry-go-round train, British freight-train design
Mgr. is an honorific or abbreviation for:
* Manager ...
, `Ambikapathi' with
Sivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
, `
Missiyamma' with
Gemini Ganesan
Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred to as the ''Kaadhal Mannan'' (King of Romance) for his romantic roles ...
, `
Nenjam Marappathillai' directed by Sridhar and `
Thooral Ninu Pochu' with
Bhagyaraj
Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor, ...
. 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 Theaters. He has done stage, films and also acted on TV dramas like 'Oviyam' and Velan. When it comes to acting, he supposedly likes all the actors; but of special mention are
M. R. Radha
Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan (14 April 1907 – 17 September 1979) was an Indian actor and politician active in Tamil plays and films. He was given the title "Nadigavel" (spearhead of acting) by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. He mostly play ...
and
Savitri. Both, in his opinion, were brilliant in their own way.
Partial filmography
Television
*
Alaigal as Father (Acha)
* Velan
* Oviyam
* The TV serial Avalukkendru oru idam in Doordharshan Madras is his first Television debut. The television serial produced by Lakshmi and Lakshmi Creations fetched him the Mylapore Academy Award 1991 for Best Actor in Character Role.
Death
Nambiar suffered from
bacterial infection
Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. This article focuses on the bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. Most species of bacteria are harmless and are often beneficial but others can cause infectious diseases. The number of ...
and died at his residence in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
on 19 November 2008. He was survived by his wife Rugmini Amma, 2 sons — one, a senior
BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
leader Sukumar Nambiar, and the other, Mohan Nambiar, a prominent businessman based in Coimbatore and a daughter, Sneha Nambiar. His eldest son Sukumar Nambiar died on 8 January 2012 aged 63 and later , his wife Rugmini Amma also died on 11 April 2012 aged 82.
Tributes
*
P. Vasu
Vasudevan Peethambharan, known professionally as P Vasu, is an Indian director, writer and actor who works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam language films. In a career spanning three decades, Vasu has directed over 64 films. (Director) :
"If there was anyone who could act with both the top heroes (
Sivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
and
M. G. R.) of Tamil cinema then, it was Nambiar. At one point, directors could not think of anyone else but him to play villain."
*
Srikanth (Actor) :
"This is a very big loss...you cannot find a human being like him easily."
*
Manorama (Actress) :
"He was a villain only when the camera got rolling...otherwise, he’d always keep us laughing with his ready wit,"
* K. Raman (Make-up man) :
"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."
*
Sundaram (Dance master) :
"Nambiar swami was responsible for taking most of us in the industry to Sabarimalai"
*
J. Jayalalithaa
Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...
(Former Tamilnadu CM) :
"I have acted with him in several films. He would be very jovial and enthusiastic on the sets. When one worked with him, one forget 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."
References
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7737798.stm
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nambiar, M.N.
1919 births
2008 deaths
20th-century Indian male actors
Male actors from Kannur
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Indian male film actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Tamil male television actors
Indian male television actors