Prem Nath Malhotra, better known as Prem Nath, was an Indian actor and director, who was best known for his works in
Hindi films
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
. Nath made his debut with the film ''Ajit'' (1948), and went on to appear in over 100 films throughout his career. He was nominated for three
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
, and later retired in 1985.
Personal life
He was born in 1926 in the Karimpura locality near Ghanta Ghar in
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
. His family moved to Jubbulpore (present-day
Jabalpur
Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...
) after partition and he moved to
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
where he was discovered as an actor.
He fell in love with actress
Bina Rai during the filming of ''
Aurat''. They married and formed a production company together called P.N. films. Their children are actor
Prem Krishen
Prem Krishen (born 5 July 1953) is an Indian actor, turned TV and film producer and the owner of Cinevistaas Limited, a film and television production company established in 1993, known for TV series such as '' Kathasagar'', '' Gul Gulshan Gul ...
and Kailash Nath (Monty). Premnath also dated the famous actress
Madhubala
Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, ...
but stopped when she became interested in actor
Dilip Kumar
Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...
.
They are also the grandparents of actress Akanksha Malhotra and director Siddharth Malhotra who are Prem Krishen's children. Adiraj Malhotra and Arjun Malhotra are the sons of Kailash Nath. His sister Krishna married
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
while his other sister Uma was married to veteran Hindi Film actor
Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an Indian actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in 380 films over a span of over 60 years. He has a soft-spoken diction despite being a villain in most films. His 19 films, with him as antagonist ...
. His brothers
Rajendra Nath
Rajendra Nath Malhotra (8 June 1931 − 13 February 2008) was an Indian actor and comedian in Hindi and Punjabi films.
Early life and family
Rajendra Nath was born on 8 June 1931 in Tikamgarh, which is now in Madhya Pradesh. His family was f ...
and
Narendra Nath
Narendra Nath (1935–1998) was an Indian actor.
Early life and background
His full name is Narendra Nath Malhotra. He was first cousin of actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Prithviraj's mother was the elder sister of Narendra's father. Two of his ...
were also actors who mostly appeared in comic and supporting roles. He was also a close friend of the actress
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is a retired Indian actress, film director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful ...
. He died of a heart attack in 1992 at the age of 65, just 18 days before his 66th birthday.
Career
![Abhishek with actors Prem Chopra and Premnath - 1974](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Abhishek_with_actors_Prem_Chopra_and_Premnath_-_1974.JPG)
Premnath made his film debut in ''Ajit'' (1948), opposite
Monica Desai
Monica Desai was an Indian actress. She was married to Phani Majumdar.
Filmography
* ''Vikram Shashikala'' (1948)
* ''Ajit'' (1948)
* ''Chanda Ki Chandni'' (1948)
* '' Chittor Vijay'' (1947)
* ''Devdasi
In India, a devadasi was a female ...
, which was one of the first colour films.
[Bina Rai: The good old days]
Screen
Screen or Screens may refer to:
Arts
* Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing
* Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry
* Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
. He got major roles in
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
's first directorial film ''
Aag'' (1948) and ''
Barsaat'' (1949) which was his first major success. In 1951, Nath starred opposite
Madhubala
Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, ...
in ''
''Badal'' which was a big box office success. In 1952, he co starred with
Dilip Kumar
Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...
in the swashbuckling technicolour film ''
Aan
''Aan'' (Hindi: आन, Urdu: آن, translation: ''Pride''), released as ''The Savage Princess'' in the United Kingdom and United States, is a 1952 Indian Bollywood adventure film, produced and directed by Mehboob Khan. It was India's first t ...
'' which was the highest grossing film at the time.
He went on to appear in many films in leading roles often opposite his wife
Bina Rai which failed to do well. He set up a production company named P.N films and directed the film ''
Samundar
Samundar is an Indian romantic action film directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Mushir-Riaz released in 1986. The movie stars Sunny Deol, Poonam Dhillon, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri.
Cast
* Sunny Deol ... Ajit
* Poonam Dhillon ... Anj ...
'' (1957), which was a box office disaster and remained his only directorial efffort. His career as a leading man declined in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the 1963 film ''
Rustom Sohrab
''Rustam Sohrab'' is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language film, produced by F.U. Ramsay and directed by Vishram Bedekar. '' being one of his last films in the leading role.
He started receiving recognition with playing the central villain or supporting role in some of the biggest blockbusters in Indian film history throughout the 1970s. Some of his notable films included ''
Teesri Manzil'' (1966), ''
Johny Mera Naam
''Johny Mera Naam'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language crime action film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars the director's brother, Dev Anand and Pran in the roles of brothers separated in childhood. Hema Malini, Jeevan, Premnath, I. S. ...
'' (1970), ''
Tere Mere Sapne'' (1971), ''
Shor'' (1972), ''
Bobby
Bobby or Bobbie may refer to:
People
* Bobby (given name), a list of names
* Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh
* Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea
* Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter
* Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...
'' (1973), ''
Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'' (1974), ''
Dharmatma
''Dharmatma'' () is a 1975 Hindi thriller movie and the first Bollywood film to be shot in Afghanistan. It was produced and directed by Feroz Khan. The movie is the first attempt in India to localise ''The Godfather''. The cast includes Feroz ...
'' (1975), ''
Kalicharan
''Kalicharan'' is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Subhash Ghai, starring Shatrughan Sinha, Reena Roy, Premnath, Ajit, Madan Puri and Danny Denzongpa. The film became a box office blockbuster. The film was the dir ...
'' (1976), ''
Krodhi
Krodhi () is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film was directed by Subhash Ghai and it stars huge cast such as, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Hema Malini, Premnath, Pran in pivotal roles. Kalyanji-Anandji's background sco ...
'' (1981) and ''
Desh Premee
Desh Premee () is a 1982 Hindi action film directed by Manmohan Desai, starring Amitabh Bachchan in a dual role alongside an ensemble cast including Hema Malini, Navin Nischol, Parveen Babi, Uttam Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Premnath, Parikshit Sahni, ...
'' (1982). He also starred in the religious Punjabi film ''
Sat Sri Akal
Sat Sri Akaal (Gurumukhi ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ, ) is a '' Jaikara'' (lit. ''Call of Victory'') now used, often, as a greeting by Punjabi Sikhs. It is the second half of the ''Sikh Clarion call'', given by the Tenth guru, Guru Gobind ...
'' (1977). He earned
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
nominations as Best Supporting Actor for: ''
Shor'' (1972), ''
Bobby
Bobby or Bobbie may refer to:
People
* Bobby (given name), a list of names
* Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh
* Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea
* Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter
* Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...
'' (1973), ''
Amir Garib
''Amir Garib'' () is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film produced and directed by Mohan Kumar. The film stars Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Prem Nath, Tanuja, Sujit Kumar and Ranjit. The film's music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal.
Plot
Manmohan alias ...
'' (1974) and ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'' (1974).
Apart from Hindi films, he also appeared in an episode of the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
television series ''
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
'' in 1967 and a 1969 American film titled ''
Kenner
Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ' ...
'' opposite former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player turned actor
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...
. His last film appearance was in ''
Hum Dono'' (1985) after which he retired from acting.
Filmography
Film
;Directed films
*''
Samundar
Samundar is an Indian romantic action film directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Mushir-Riaz released in 1986. The movie stars Sunny Deol, Poonam Dhillon, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri.
Cast
* Sunny Deol ... Ajit
* Poonam Dhillon ... Anj ...
'' (1957), only film for P. N. Films, home production.
TV series
*''
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
'' TV series (1 episode, 1967)
Awards and nominations
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
Nominations
* 1973 –
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards star ...
for
''Shor''
* 1974 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for
''Bobby''
*1975 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''
Amir Garib
''Amir Garib'' () is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film produced and directed by Mohan Kumar. The film stars Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Prem Nath, Tanuja, Sujit Kumar and Ranjit. The film's music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal.
Plot
Manmohan alias ...
''
* 1975 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''
Roti Kapda Aur Makaan''
References
External links
*
Monty Nath on father Premnath*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Premnath
1926 births
1992 deaths
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Indian male film actors
Hindkowan people
People from Peshawar
20th-century Indian male actors
Punjabi people
Filmfare Awards winners