Prem Nath

Premnath Malhotra, better known as Prem Nath (21 November 1926 – 3 November 1992) was an Indian actor and director, who was best known for his works in Hindi films. 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, and later retired in 1985.

Personal life

Early life

He was born in 1926 in the Karimpura locality near Ghanta Ghar in Peshawar. His father Kartarnath Malhotra was a high-ranking police officer and the maternal uncle of Prithviraj Kapoor, known as the patriarch of the Kapoor film clan. His family moved to Jubbulpore (present-day Jabalpur) after partition and he moved to Bombay where he was discovered as an actor.

Relationships and family

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 and Kailash Nath (Monty). Premnath dated the famous actress Madhubala but ended it when she became interested in actor Dilip Kumar.

They are 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 while his other sister Uma was married to veteran Hindi Film actor Prem Chopra. His brothers Rajendra Nath and Narendra Nath were also actors who mostly appeared in comedic and supporting roles. He was also a close friend of the actress Asha Parekh.

Spirituality

He was religious, and when his career began to decline in the mid-1950s he went to the Kailash mountain range in Tibet a spiritual retreat, producing a documentary about his pilgrimage in 1957, ''Kailas Darshan''.

Last years

He died of a heart attack in 1992 at the age of 65.

Acting career

Early roles and lead roles (1948 to mid-1960s)

Premnath made his film debut in ''Ajit'' (1948), opposite Monica Desai, which was one of the first colour films.Bina Rai: The good old days
Screen. He got major roles in Raj Kapoor's first directorial film '' Aag'' (1948) and '' Barsaat'' (1949) which was his first major success. In 1951, Nath starred opposite Madhubala in '' Badal'' which was a big box office success. In 1952, he co starred with Dilip Kumar in the swashbuckling technicolour film '' Aan '' 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'' (1957), which was a box office disaster and remained his only directorial effort. His career as a leading man declined in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the 1963 film '' Rustom Sohrab'' being one of his last films in the leading role.

Villain and supporting roles (1970s to 1985)

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), (1970), '' Tere Mere Sapne'' (1971), '' Shor'' (1972), '' Bobby'' (1973), '' Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'' (1974), ''Dharmatma'' (1975), ''Kalicharan'' (1976), '' Krodhi'' (1981) and '' Desh Premee'' (1982). He also starred in the religious Punjabi film '' Sat Sri Akal'' (1977). He earned Filmfare nominations as Best Supporting Actor for: '' Shor'' (1972), '' Bobby'' (1973), '' Amir Garib'' (1974) and ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'' (1974).

His last film appearance was in '' Hum Dono'' (1985) after which he retired from acting.

American productions

Apart from Hindi films, he also appeared in an episode of the American television series ''Maya'' in 1967 and a 1969 American film titled '' Kenner'' opposite former American football player turned actor Jim Brown.

Other work

Production

He produced four films and three documentaries.

Books

He wrote books, including novels, in both English and Hindi.

Filmography

Film

;Directed films
*'' Samundar'' (1957), only film for P. N. Films, home production.

TV series

*''Maya'' TV series (1 episode, 1967)

Awards and nominations

Filmfare Awards

Nominations

* 1973 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Shor''
* 1974 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Bobby''
*1975 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Amir Garib''
* 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
Filmfare Awards winners